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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: last · branch · press · nail · bay · bulb · court · trunk

  1. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  2. The ball is in your ________________.
  3. I've got to change the light ________________.
  4. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  5. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  6. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  7. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  8. Did you ________________ the button?
  9. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  10. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  11. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  12. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  13. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  14. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  15. My mare is ________________ in color.
  16. The light ________________ burned out.
  17. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  18. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  19. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  20. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  21. The ________________ went through the wall.
  22. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  23. False peace will not ________________.
  24. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. nail — for a hammer
  2. court — for sport
  3. bulb — for light
  4. court — of law
  5. trunk — of an elephant
  6. nail — on a finger
  7. last — final
  8. press — to push
  9. trunk — of a car
  10. last — finally
  11. branch — a division
  12. branch — of a tree
  13. trunk — of a tree
  14. bulb — of a plant
  15. bay — a horse colour
  16. bulb — for light
  17. court — of a king
  18. press — newspapers
  19. branch — of a bank
  20. press — a publisher
  21. nail — for a hammer
  22. bay — to keep at bay
  23. last — to go on
  24. bay — a part of the sea

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