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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 120 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.

Words on the sheet
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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: board · snap · branch · squash · fall · game · court · tube

  1. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  2. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  3. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  4. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  5. I'll be taking the ________________.
  6. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  7. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  8. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  9. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  10. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  11. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  12. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  13. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  14. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  15. That was a fun ________________.
  16. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  17. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  18. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  19. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  20. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  21. The ball is in your ________________.
  22. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  23. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  24. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.

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

Answer key

  1. tube — a container
  2. snap — to speak sharply
  3. branch — of a bank
  4. squash — to crush
  5. tube — the underground
  6. squash — the sport
  7. court — of a king
  8. fall — to drop
  9. tube — in a tire
  10. court — of law
  11. board — a flat piece
  12. board — a committee
  13. fall — to drop
  14. fall — the season
  15. game — a match
  16. board — to get on
  17. branch — a division
  18. game — wild animals
  19. snap — to click
  20. game — a kind of play
  21. court — for sport
  22. squash — the vegetable
  23. branch — of a tree
  24. snap — to snap out of it

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