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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: last · leaves · temple · chair · wound · branch · net · court

  1. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  2. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  3. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  4. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  5. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  6. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  7. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  8. The ball is in your ________________.
  9. When was this ________________ built?
  10. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  11. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  12. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  13. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  14. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  15. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  16. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  17. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  18. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  19. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  20. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  21. False peace will not ________________.
  22. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  23. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  24. We ________________ up on opposing sides.

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

Answer key

  1. wound — an injury
  2. leaves — lets stay
  3. court — of a king
  4. leaves — to go away
  5. leaves — of a tree
  6. chair — to sit on
  7. branch — of a tree
  8. court — for sport
  9. temple — a place of worship
  10. temple — a place of worship
  11. net — after costs
  12. last — final
  13. net — in sport
  14. wound — an injury
  15. chair — a professorship
  16. branch — of a bank
  17. net — for catching
  18. chair — a leader
  19. temple — side of the head
  20. branch — a division
  21. last — to go on
  22. court — of law
  23. last — finally
  24. wound — past of 'wind'

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