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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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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 · pop · leaves · vault · deal · branch · tear · swing

  1. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  2. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  3. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  4. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  5. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  6. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  7. You don't need to ________________ round.
  8. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  9. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  10. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  11. We're almost out of ________________.
  12. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  13. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  14. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  15. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  16. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  17. The ball is in your ________________.
  18. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  19. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  20. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  21. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  22. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  23. David sat on the ________________.
  24. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.

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

Answer key

  1. swing — in golf
  2. tear — from crying
  3. vault — an arched ceiling
  4. leaves — of a tree
  5. pop — music
  6. deal — an agreement
  7. pop — to visit
  8. swing — music
  9. court — of a king
  10. deal — to handle
  11. pop — soda
  12. vault — in gymnastics
  13. branch — of a bank
  14. vault — a safe
  15. deal — a big deal
  16. branch — of a tree
  17. court — for sport
  18. tear — from crying
  19. branch — a division
  20. leaves — lets stay
  21. court — of law
  22. leaves — to go away
  23. swing — to play on
  24. tear — to rip

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