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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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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: club · lash · court · temple · mouse · pit · wave · branch

  1. The ball is in your ________________.
  2. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  3. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  4. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  5. When was this ________________ built?
  6. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  7. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  8. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  9. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  10. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  11. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  12. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  13. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  14. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  15. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  16. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  17. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  18. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  19. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  20. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  21. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  22. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  23. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  24. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.

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

Answer key

  1. court — for sport
  2. pit — a hole
  3. temple — side of the head
  4. court — of a king
  5. temple — a place of worship
  6. branch — a division
  7. wave — a sudden rise
  8. club — a group
  9. mouse — the animal
  10. wave — of the sea
  11. club — for dancing
  12. branch — of a bank
  13. pit — in a race
  14. branch — of a tree
  15. lash — an eyelash
  16. temple — a place of worship
  17. mouse — for a computer
  18. lash — a whip stroke
  19. lash — to lash out
  20. mouse — the animal
  21. club — for golf
  22. pit — a fruit stone
  23. court — of law
  24. wave — with your hand

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