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

Word bank: court · racket · safe · foot · wind · bark · branch · deal

  1. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  2. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  3. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  4. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  5. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  6. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  7. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  8. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  9. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  10. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  11. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  12. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  13. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  14. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  15. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  16. The ball is in your ________________.
  17. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  18. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  19. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  20. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  21. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  22. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  23. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  24. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.

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

Answer key

  1. branch — a division
  2. deal — a big deal
  3. racket — for tennis
  4. bark — of a tree
  5. bark — a dog's sound
  6. safe — out of danger
  7. wind — moving air
  8. wind — moving air
  9. safe — out of danger
  10. bark — to shout
  11. deal — an agreement
  12. branch — of a bank
  13. racket — a loud noise
  14. racket — for tennis
  15. foot — the bottom
  16. court — for sport
  17. court — of law
  18. court — of a king
  19. branch — of a tree
  20. foot — part of the body
  21. foot — a measure
  22. safe — a strongbox
  23. deal — to handle
  24. wind — to turn a key

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