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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: can · rush · court · staff · land · branch · cabinet · rash

  1. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  2. When are we going to ________________?
  3. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  4. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  5. The ball is in your ________________.
  6. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  7. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  8. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  9. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  10. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  11. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  12. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  13. Don't do anything ________________.
  14. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  15. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  16. What do you think of the new ________________?
  17. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  18. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  19. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  20. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  21. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  22. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  23. That must've been a ________________.
  24. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.

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

Answer key

  1. staff — employees
  2. land — to come down
  3. rush — to hurry
  4. court — of a king
  5. court — for sport
  6. land — ground
  7. land — a country
  8. branch — a division
  9. rush — hurry
  10. can — to be able to
  11. staff — employees
  12. rash — on the skin
  13. rash — hasty
  14. rash — a series
  15. staff — a stick
  16. cabinet — ministers
  17. can — a tin
  18. cabinet — ministers
  19. cabinet — a cupboard
  20. branch — of a tree
  21. can — a tin
  22. branch — of a bank
  23. rush — a thrill
  24. court — of law

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