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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 · arm · branch · staff · kick · drill · rock · foot

  1. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  2. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  3. My father caught me by the ________________.
  4. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  5. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  6. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  7. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  8. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  9. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  10. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  11. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  12. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  13. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  14. The ball is in your ________________.
  15. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  16. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  17. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  18. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  19. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  20. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  21. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  22. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  23. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  24. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.

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

Answer key

  1. rock — music
  2. court — of a king
  3. arm — part of the body
  4. arm — part of the body
  5. rock — a stone
  6. staff — employees
  7. kick — with a leg
  8. foot — a measure
  9. drill — a practice
  10. arm — a part of something
  11. staff — a stick
  12. staff — employees
  13. branch — a division
  14. court — for sport
  15. court — of law
  16. foot — the bottom
  17. rock — to move gently
  18. kick — a thrill
  19. drill — the tool
  20. branch — of a bank
  21. foot — part of the body
  22. branch — of a tree
  23. kick — in football
  24. drill — army training

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