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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: staff · court · cabinet · nail · trunk · straw · degree · branch

  1. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  2. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  3. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  4. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  5. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  6. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  7. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  8. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  9. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  10. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  11. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  12. The ball is in your ________________.
  13. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  14. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  15. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  16. The ________________ went through the wall.
  17. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  18. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  19. What do you think of the new ________________?
  20. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  21. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  22. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  23. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  24. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. branch — of a tree
  2. branch — of a bank
  3. court — of law
  4. staff — a stick
  5. nail — for a hammer
  6. staff — employees
  7. trunk — of a car
  8. degree — from a university
  9. trunk — of an elephant
  10. degree — temperature
  11. straw — a straw man
  12. court — for sport
  13. straw — to clutch at straws
  14. trunk — of a tree
  15. branch — a division
  16. nail — for a hammer
  17. straw — dry grass
  18. cabinet — ministers
  19. cabinet — ministers
  20. court — of a king
  21. nail — on a finger
  22. degree — an amount
  23. staff — employees
  24. cabinet — a cupboard

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