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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: court · tube · nail · branch · fine · lean · cabinet · stem

  1. I'll be taking the ________________.
  2. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  3. What do you think of the new ________________?
  4. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  5. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  6. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  7. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  8. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  9. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  10. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  11. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  12. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  13. The ________________ went through the wall.
  14. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  15. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  16. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  17. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  18. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  19. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  20. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  21. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  22. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  23. The ball is in your ________________.
  24. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.

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

Answer key

  1. tube — the underground
  2. cabinet — a cupboard
  3. cabinet — ministers
  4. cabinet — ministers
  5. tube — in a tire
  6. nail — for a hammer
  7. branch — of a bank
  8. branch — a division
  9. fine — high quality
  10. fine — all right
  11. branch — of a tree
  12. lean — to bend
  13. nail — for a hammer
  14. stem — a stem cell
  15. court — of law
  16. nail — on a finger
  17. lean — thin
  18. lean — to rest against
  19. fine — a penalty
  20. stem — of a plant
  21. tube — a container
  22. stem — to come from
  23. court — for sport
  24. court — of a king

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