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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 · bear · board · row · branch · racket · file · court

  1. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  2. The ball is in your ________________.
  3. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  4. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  5. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  6. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  7. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  8. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  9. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  10. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  11. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  12. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  13. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  14. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  15. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  16. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  17. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  18. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  19. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  20. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  21. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  22. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  23. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  24. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.

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

Answer key

  1. board — a committee
  2. court — for sport
  3. racket — for tennis
  4. branch — a division
  5. racket — a loud noise
  6. board — a flat piece
  7. bear — the animal
  8. row — to paddle
  9. file — a tool
  10. court — of law
  11. bear — the animal
  12. court — of a king
  13. row — a line
  14. file — a line of people
  15. board — to get on
  16. file — a document
  17. row — a quarrel
  18. branch — of a bank
  19. racket — for tennis
  20. bear — to put up with
  21. staff — employees
  22. branch — of a tree
  23. staff — a stick
  24. staff — employees

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