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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: court · perch · jam · arm · object · pass · bank · land

  1. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  2. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  3. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  4. When are we going to ________________?
  5. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  6. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  7. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  8. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  9. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  10. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  11. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  12. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  13. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  14. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  15. The ball is in your ________________.
  16. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  17. My father caught me by the ________________.
  18. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  19. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  20. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  21. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  22. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  23. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  24. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.

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

Answer key

  1. arm — a part of something
  2. bank — of a river
  3. pass — to succeed
  4. land — to come down
  5. pass — to spend time
  6. bank — for money
  7. court — of a king
  8. jam — to spread on bread
  9. perch — the fish
  10. object — an aim
  11. court — of law
  12. land — ground
  13. object — a thing
  14. pass — a permit
  15. court — for sport
  16. jam — in traffic
  17. arm — part of the body
  18. arm — part of the body
  19. perch — for a bird
  20. perch — for a bird
  21. jam — a tight spot
  22. object — to protest
  23. bank — for money
  24. land — a country

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