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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 120 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: bank · fall · court · squash · row · branch · bay · hand

  1. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  2. My mare is ________________ in color.
  3. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  4. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  5. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  6. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  7. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  8. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  9. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  10. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  11. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  12. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  13. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  14. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  15. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  16. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  17. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  18. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  19. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  20. The ball is in your ________________.
  21. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  22. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  23. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  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. bank — for money
  2. bay — a horse colour
  3. bank — for money
  4. hand — part of the body
  5. squash — the vegetable
  6. fall — to drop
  7. fall — to drop
  8. row — a line
  9. bay — a part of the sea
  10. branch — of a bank
  11. branch — of a tree
  12. branch — a division
  13. bank — of a river
  14. squash — to crush
  15. hand — in cards
  16. row — a quarrel
  17. court — of law
  18. bay — to keep at bay
  19. row — to paddle
  20. court — for sport
  21. squash — the sport
  22. fall — the season
  23. hand — help
  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