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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: branch · ground · dip · bay · court · cold · leaves · hide

  1. There's no middle ________________.
  2. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  3. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  4. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  5. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  6. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  7. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  8. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  9. My mare is ________________ in color.
  10. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  11. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  12. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  13. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  14. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  15. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  16. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  17. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  18. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  19. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  20. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  21. The ball is in your ________________.
  22. The water is too ________________.
  23. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  24. Biology is a ________________ of science.

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

Answer key

  1. ground — a position
  2. court — of a king
  3. hide — to keep secret
  4. court — of law
  5. ground — crushed
  6. bay — to keep at bay
  7. hide — animal skin
  8. dip — to sink
  9. bay — a horse colour
  10. leaves — lets stay
  11. branch — of a tree
  12. bay — a part of the sea
  13. leaves — to go away
  14. dip — to dunk
  15. ground — the earth
  16. cold — the Cold War
  17. branch — of a bank
  18. hide — to keep secret
  19. cold — an illness
  20. dip — a sauce
  21. court — for sport
  22. cold — not warm
  23. leaves — of a tree
  24. branch — a division

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