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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 120 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. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  2. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  3. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  4. The ________________ went through the wall.
  5. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  6. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  7. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  8. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  9. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  10. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  11. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  12. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  13. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  14. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  15. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  16. The ball is in your ________________.
  17. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  18. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  19. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  20. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  21. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  22. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  23. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  24. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.

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

Answer key

  1. bowl — to roll
  2. branch — of a tree
  3. drill — the tool
  4. nail — for a hammer
  5. court — of a king
  6. dip — to dunk
  7. bowl — a dish
  8. bowl — a football final
  9. leaves — of a tree
  10. content — happy
  11. drill — army training
  12. leaves — lets stay
  13. dip — a sauce
  14. leaves — to go away
  15. branch — of a bank
  16. court — for sport
  17. dip — to sink
  18. content — the amount
  19. branch — a division
  20. content — videos and posts
  21. nail — on a finger
  22. drill — a practice
  23. court — of law
  24. nail — for a hammer

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