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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: object · rash · chair · court · branch · hand · bay · snap

  1. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  2. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  3. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  4. The ball is in your ________________.
  5. Don't do anything ________________.
  6. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  7. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  8. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  9. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  10. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  11. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  12. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  13. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  14. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  15. My mare is ________________ in color.
  16. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  17. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  18. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  19. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  20. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  21. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  22. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  23. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  24. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.

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

Answer key

  1. branch — of a bank
  2. object — to protest
  3. snap — to snap out of it
  4. court — for sport
  5. rash — hasty
  6. hand — part of the body
  7. bay — to keep at bay
  8. rash — on the skin
  9. object — an aim
  10. object — a thing
  11. branch — of a tree
  12. chair — a professorship
  13. chair — to sit on
  14. rash — a series
  15. bay — a horse colour
  16. bay — a part of the sea
  17. snap — to speak sharply
  18. court — of a king
  19. branch — a division
  20. hand — help
  21. hand — in cards
  22. snap — to click
  23. chair — a leader
  24. court — of law

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