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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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Word bank
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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

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

Word bank: racket · court · foot · branch · firm · row

  1. The ball is in your ________________.
  2. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  3. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  4. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  5. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  6. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  7. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  8. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  9. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  10. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  11. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  12. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  13. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  14. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  15. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  16. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  17. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  18. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.

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

Answer key

  1. court — for sport
  2. branch — of a tree
  3. foot — part of the body
  4. court — of a king
  5. foot — a measure
  6. racket — for tennis
  7. row — a line
  8. racket — for tennis
  9. row — a quarrel
  10. firm — steady
  11. foot — the bottom
  12. court — of law
  13. firm — decided
  14. firm — a company
  15. branch — a division
  16. racket — a loud noise
  17. branch — of a bank
  18. row — to paddle

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