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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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: branch · fork · chest · calf · field · court · key · jam

  1. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  2. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  3. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  4. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  5. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  6. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  7. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  8. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  9. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  10. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  11. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  12. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  13. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  14. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  15. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  16. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  17. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  18. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  19. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  20. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  21. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  22. This piece is in a major ________________.
  23. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  24. The ball is in your ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. calf — a young animal
  2. chest — of your body
  3. branch — of a bank
  4. chest — a box
  5. field — for sport
  6. jam — a tight spot
  7. court — of a king
  8. calf — of the leg
  9. calf — a young animal
  10. court — of law
  11. fork — a garden tool
  12. chest — of your body
  13. branch — of a tree
  14. field — farmland
  15. jam — to spread on bread
  16. key — for a lock
  17. jam — in traffic
  18. fork — to eat with
  19. fork — in a road
  20. field — a subject
  21. key — the most important part
  22. key — in music
  23. branch — a division
  24. court — for sport

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