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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: stand · court · bulb · nail · fan · trunk · branch · clip

  1. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  2. The ________________ went through the wall.
  3. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  4. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  5. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  6. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  7. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  8. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  9. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  10. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  11. The ball is in your ________________.
  12. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  13. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  14. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  15. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  16. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  17. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  18. The light ________________ burned out.
  19. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  20. I can't ________________ this cold.
  21. I've got to change the light ________________.
  22. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  23. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  24. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.

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

Answer key

  1. branch — a division
  2. nail — for a hammer
  3. stand — on your feet
  4. fan — to cool the air
  5. clip — to cut
  6. fan — a supporter
  7. clip — a video
  8. nail — on a finger
  9. branch — of a bank
  10. bulb — of a plant
  11. court — for sport
  12. trunk — of a car
  13. court — of law
  14. clip — for paper
  15. nail — for a hammer
  16. fan — a supporter
  17. trunk — of an elephant
  18. bulb — for light
  19. stand — for spectators
  20. stand — to bear
  21. bulb — for light
  22. branch — of a tree
  23. trunk — of a tree
  24. court — of a king

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