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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 works in a ________________ mill.
  2. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  3. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  4. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  5. Have you found your soul ________________?
  6. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  7. She's very handy with a ________________.
  8. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  9. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  10. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  11. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  12. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  13. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  14. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  15. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  16. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  17. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  18. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  19. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  20. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  21. The ball is in your ________________.
  22. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  23. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  24. This looks like a gunshot ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. saw — the tool
  2. court — of law
  3. racket — a loud noise
  4. leaves — to go away
  5. mate — a partner
  6. wound — an injury
  7. saw — the tool
  8. foot — a measure
  9. mate — a friend
  10. branch — of a tree
  11. court — of a king
  12. foot — part of the body
  13. branch — a division
  14. saw — past of 'see'
  15. mate — to breed
  16. wound — past of 'wind'
  17. leaves — of a tree
  18. leaves — lets stay
  19. branch — of a bank
  20. racket — for tennis
  21. court — for sport
  22. foot — the bottom
  23. racket — for tennis
  24. wound — an injury

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