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Multiple-Meaning Words

A multiple-meaning word is spelled and said the same way but means different things: a bat flies at night, and you hit a ball with a bat. Context is the only clue, which is why these words are such good reading practice.

Here are 116 multiple-meaning words from past ClueBy puzzles, each with a real example sentence for every meaning. Use them as a reference, or make a printable worksheet below.

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Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  2. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  3. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  4. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  5. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  6. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  7. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  8. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  9. Don't do anything ________________.
  10. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  11. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  12. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  13. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  14. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  15. The ball is in your ________________.
  16. David sat on the ________________.
  17. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  18. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  19. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  20. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  21. False peace will not ________________.
  22. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  23. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  24. Biology is a ________________ of science.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com

Answer key

  1. leaves — of a tree
  2. branch — of a tree
  3. swing — in golf
  4. kid — child
  5. vault — a safe
  6. leaves — to go away
  7. branch — of a bank
  8. swing — music
  9. rash — hasty
  10. last — final
  11. kid — to tease
  12. vault — in gymnastics
  13. vault — an arched ceiling
  14. rash — a series
  15. court — for sport
  16. swing — to play on
  17. last — finally
  18. rash — on the skin
  19. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  20. court — of a king
  21. last — to go on
  22. leaves — lets stay
  23. court — of law
  24. branch — a division

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

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Frequently asked questions

What are multiple-meaning words?

Words with the same spelling and pronunciation but more than one meaning, like bark (of a dog or of a tree) or bank (for money or of a river). You can only tell which meaning is meant from the rest of the sentence.

Are multiple-meaning words the same as homonyms?

Mostly, yes. Teachers often use "multiple-meaning words" and "homonyms" for the same idea. Homophones are different: they sound alike but are spelled differently, like flour and flower.

Are the worksheets free?

Yes. Make and print as many as you like for home or classroom use. Each sheet has its own link, so you can print the same one again.

Where do the words come from?

From past ClueBy puzzles, a daily game where you sort twelve sentences by their missing word. A new puzzle every day adds four more words to this list.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com