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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. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  2. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  3. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  4. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  5. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  6. The ball is in your ________________.
  7. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  8. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  9. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  10. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  11. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  12. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  13. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  14. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  15. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  16. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  17. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  18. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  19. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  20. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  21. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  22. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  23. We're on a ________________ here.
  24. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. court — of a king
  2. branch — of a bank
  3. lash — an eyelash
  4. roll — a list
  5. branch — a division
  6. court — for sport
  7. court — of law
  8. band — a rubber band
  9. club — for dancing
  10. stem — a stem cell
  11. band — a ring
  12. roll — a cake
  13. club — for golf
  14. object — an aim
  15. stem — of a plant
  16. lash — a whip stroke
  17. branch — of a tree
  18. object — to protest
  19. stem — to come from
  20. club — a group
  21. lash — to lash out
  22. object — a thing
  23. roll — on a roll
  24. band — a music group

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