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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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: land · perch · lie · court · branch · mark · fall · ball

  1. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  2. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  3. The King held a masked ________________.
  4. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  5. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  6. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  7. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  8. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  9. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  10. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  11. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  12. When are we going to ________________?
  13. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  14. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  15. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  16. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  17. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  18. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  19. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  20. The ball is in your ________________.
  21. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  22. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  23. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  24. She got the top ________________ in the exam.

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

Answer key

  1. ball — a great time
  2. mark — a trace
  3. ball — a dance
  4. fall — to drop
  5. fall — to drop
  6. branch — of a tree
  7. lie — an untruth
  8. land — ground
  9. ball — a round shape
  10. lie — an untruth
  11. perch — for a bird
  12. land — to come down
  13. perch — for a bird
  14. court — of a king
  15. mark — to pay attention
  16. lie — to recline
  17. branch — of a bank
  18. fall — the season
  19. branch — a division
  20. court — for sport
  21. perch — the fish
  22. court — of law
  23. land — a country
  24. mark — a grade

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