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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: branch · court · fork · season · pop · ball · scale · object

  1. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  2. The ball is in your ________________.
  3. Did you ________________ the meat?
  4. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  5. We're almost out of ________________.
  6. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  7. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  8. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  9. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  10. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  11. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  12. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  13. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  14. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  15. You don't need to ________________ round.
  16. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  17. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  18. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  19. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  20. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  21. The King held a masked ________________.
  22. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  23. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  24. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?

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

Answer key

  1. object — a thing
  2. court — for sport
  3. season — to add flavour
  4. branch — a division
  5. pop — soda
  6. scale — in music
  7. season — of the year
  8. scale — for weighing
  9. ball — a great time
  10. pop — music
  11. branch — of a bank
  12. fork — in a road
  13. court — of law
  14. fork — to eat with
  15. pop — to visit
  16. ball — a round shape
  17. object — an aim
  18. fork — a garden tool
  19. season — in sport
  20. scale — size or range
  21. ball — a dance
  22. court — of a king
  23. branch — of a tree
  24. object — to protest

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