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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: chip · court · coach · land · hand · bear · bay · branch

  1. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  2. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  3. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  4. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  5. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  6. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  7. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  8. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  9. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  10. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  11. The ball is in your ________________.
  12. When are we going to ________________?
  13. Have you met the new head ________________?
  14. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  15. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  16. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  17. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  18. My mare is ________________ in color.
  19. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  20. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  21. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  22. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  23. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  24. A black ________________ roamed the forest.

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

Answer key

  1. bear — the animal
  2. chip — for betting
  3. court — of law
  4. hand — in cards
  5. bear — to put up with
  6. hand — part of the body
  7. chip — to eat
  8. chip — in a computer
  9. bay — a part of the sea
  10. branch — of a bank
  11. court — for sport
  12. land — to come down
  13. coach — a trainer
  14. branch — of a tree
  15. branch — a division
  16. land — ground
  17. coach — a trainer
  18. bay — a horse colour
  19. coach — pulled by horses
  20. hand — help
  21. court — of a king
  22. land — a country
  23. bay — to keep at bay
  24. bear — the animal

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