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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: arm · firm · court · roll · branch · lie · band · leaves

  1. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  2. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  3. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  4. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  5. The ball is in your ________________.
  6. We're on a ________________ here.
  7. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  8. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  9. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  10. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  11. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  12. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  13. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  14. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  15. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  16. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  17. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  18. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  19. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  20. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  21. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  22. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  23. My father caught me by the ________________.
  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. roll — a cake
  2. firm — steady
  3. branch — of a bank
  4. roll — a list
  5. court — for sport
  6. roll — on a roll
  7. leaves — lets stay
  8. branch — a division
  9. leaves — of a tree
  10. leaves — to go away
  11. lie — to recline
  12. arm — part of the body
  13. lie — an untruth
  14. branch — of a tree
  15. band — a music group
  16. lie — an untruth
  17. band — a ring
  18. firm — decided
  19. band — a rubber band
  20. arm — a part of something
  21. firm — a company
  22. court — of a king
  23. arm — part of the body
  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