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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: object · trunk · saw · swing · scale · court · pass · branch

  1. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  2. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  3. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  4. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  5. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  6. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  7. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  8. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  9. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  10. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  11. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  12. David sat on the ________________.
  13. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  14. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  15. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  16. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  17. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  18. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  19. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  20. The ball is in your ________________.
  21. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  22. He works in a ________________ mill.
  23. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  24. She's very handy with a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. trunk — of a car
  2. court — of a king
  3. scale — for weighing
  4. branch — of a tree
  5. branch — a division
  6. trunk — of a tree
  7. pass — to spend time
  8. pass — to succeed
  9. swing — in golf
  10. pass — a permit
  11. object — to protest
  12. swing — to play on
  13. object — a thing
  14. court — of law
  15. object — an aim
  16. scale — size or range
  17. scale — in music
  18. trunk — of an elephant
  19. saw — past of 'see'
  20. court — for sport
  21. branch — of a bank
  22. saw — the tool
  23. swing — music
  24. saw — the tool

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