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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 116 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: file · bound · court · firm · trunk · row · branch · calf

  1. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  2. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  3. The ball is in your ________________.
  4. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  5. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  6. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  7. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  8. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  9. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  10. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  11. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  12. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  13. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  14. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  15. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  16. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  17. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  18. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  19. That was ________________ to happen.
  20. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  21. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  22. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  23. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  24. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.

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

Answer key

  1. trunk — of a car
  2. file — a line of people
  3. court — for sport
  4. branch — of a tree
  5. file — a tool
  6. firm — steady
  7. file — a document
  8. calf — of the leg
  9. firm — a company
  10. row — a quarrel
  11. branch — a division
  12. bound — tied together
  13. calf — a young animal
  14. row — a line
  15. calf — a young animal
  16. trunk — of a tree
  17. court — of a king
  18. branch — of a bank
  19. bound — certain
  20. court — of law
  21. bound — obliged
  22. trunk — of an elephant
  23. row — to paddle
  24. firm — decided

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