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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 124 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. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  2. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  3. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  4. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  5. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  6. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  7. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  8. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  9. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  10. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  11. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  12. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  13. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  14. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  15. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  16. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  17. David sat on the ________________.
  18. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  19. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  20. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  21. The ball is in your ________________.
  22. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  23. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  24. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. branch — of a tree
  2. bowl — a dish
  3. court — of law
  4. court — of a king
  5. leaves — to go away
  6. branch — a division
  7. leaves — lets stay
  8. bowl — a football final
  9. branch — of a bank
  10. cap — of ice
  11. bowl — to roll
  12. band — a ring
  13. swing — in golf
  14. cap — a hat
  15. pit — a hole
  16. leaves — of a tree
  17. swing — to play on
  18. band — a music group
  19. band — a rubber band
  20. cap — a lid
  21. court — for sport
  22. swing — music
  23. pit — in a race
  24. pit — a fruit stone

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