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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: spring · court · branch · swing · fork · pop · toast · deal

  1. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  2. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  3. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  4. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  5. The ball is in your ________________.
  6. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  7. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  8. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  9. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  10. You don't need to ________________ round.
  11. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  12. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  13. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  14. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  15. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  16. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  17. We're almost out of ________________.
  18. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  19. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  20. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  21. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  22. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  23. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  24. David sat on the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. branch — of a bank
  2. pop — music
  3. fork — a garden tool
  4. toast — the most admired
  5. court — for sport
  6. deal — to handle
  7. spring — of water
  8. court — of a king
  9. spring — a coil
  10. pop — to visit
  11. deal — an agreement
  12. toast — a drink to someone
  13. court — of law
  14. deal — a big deal
  15. spring — the season
  16. fork — to eat with
  17. pop — soda
  18. swing — music
  19. branch — a division
  20. fork — in a road
  21. toast — bread
  22. branch — of a tree
  23. swing — in golf
  24. swing — to play on

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