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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: fine · court · branch · stand · vault · jam · lean · hand

  1. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  2. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  3. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  4. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  5. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  6. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  7. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  8. The ball is in your ________________.
  9. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  10. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  11. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  12. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  13. I can't ________________ this cold.
  14. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  15. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  16. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  17. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  18. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  19. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  20. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  21. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  22. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  23. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  24. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.

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

Answer key

  1. branch — a division
  2. branch — of a bank
  3. hand — help
  4. vault — in gymnastics
  5. hand — in cards
  6. lean — to bend
  7. stand — for spectators
  8. court — for sport
  9. court — of a king
  10. vault — a safe
  11. lean — to rest against
  12. jam — in traffic
  13. stand — to bear
  14. court — of law
  15. fine — all right
  16. vault — an arched ceiling
  17. stand — on your feet
  18. fine — high quality
  19. jam — to spread on bread
  20. jam — a tight spot
  21. hand — part of the body
  22. lean — thin
  23. branch — of a tree
  24. fine — a penalty

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