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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: wake · net · bulb · court · branch · hand · mug · hide

  1. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  2. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  3. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  4. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  5. The light ________________ burned out.
  6. Where did you ________________ them?
  7. The ball is in your ________________.
  8. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  9. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  10. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  11. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  12. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  13. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  14. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  15. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  16. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  17. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  18. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  19. I've got to change the light ________________.
  20. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  21. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  22. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  23. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  24. I got dealt a bad ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. net — in sport
  2. court — of a king
  3. hide — to keep secret
  4. net — after costs
  5. bulb — for light
  6. mug — to rob
  7. court — for sport
  8. wake — a trail
  9. wake — to stop sleeping
  10. hide — animal skin
  11. mug — a face
  12. branch — of a bank
  13. mug — a cup
  14. net — for catching
  15. bulb — of a plant
  16. hand — help
  17. court — of law
  18. hand — part of the body
  19. bulb — for light
  20. branch — of a tree
  21. branch — a division
  22. hide — to keep secret
  23. wake — before a funeral
  24. hand — in cards

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