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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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: staff · branch · field · court · ground · bay · chair · prune

  1. There's no middle ________________.
  2. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  3. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  4. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  5. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  6. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  7. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  8. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  9. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  10. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  11. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  12. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  13. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  14. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  15. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  16. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  17. The ball is in your ________________.
  18. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  19. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  20. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  21. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  22. My mare is ________________ in color.
  23. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  24. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.

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

Answer key

  1. ground — a position
  2. chair — a professorship
  3. field — farmland
  4. branch — a division
  5. prune — to trim
  6. ground — the earth
  7. court — of a king
  8. field — for sport
  9. chair — a leader
  10. bay — to keep at bay
  11. staff — employees
  12. bay — a part of the sea
  13. branch — of a bank
  14. branch — of a tree
  15. field — a subject
  16. ground — crushed
  17. court — for sport
  18. staff — employees
  19. prune — the fruit
  20. chair — to sit on
  21. prune — to trim
  22. bay — a horse colour
  23. staff — a stick
  24. court — of law

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