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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: ball · bear · branch · pitch · spell · cabinet · leaves · court

  1. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  2. The ball is in your ________________.
  3. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  4. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  5. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  6. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  7. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  8. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  9. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  10. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  11. How do you ________________ your surname?
  12. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  13. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  14. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  15. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  16. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  17. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  18. What do you think of the new ________________?
  19. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  20. The King held a masked ________________.
  21. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  22. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  23. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  24. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. branch — of a bank
  2. court — for sport
  3. ball — a great time
  4. court — of law
  5. bear — to put up with
  6. leaves — of a tree
  7. pitch — a sports field
  8. spell — a short time
  9. pitch — a sales talk
  10. leaves — to go away
  11. spell — letters
  12. branch — of a tree
  13. pitch — completely
  14. bear — the animal
  15. leaves — lets stay
  16. ball — a round shape
  17. bear — the animal
  18. cabinet — ministers
  19. cabinet — a cupboard
  20. ball — a dance
  21. cabinet — ministers
  22. court — of a king
  23. branch — a division
  24. spell — magic

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