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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: saw · pitcher · racket · court · branch · drill · pop · kid

  1. The ball is in your ________________.
  2. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  3. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  4. She's very handy with a ________________.
  5. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  6. He works in a ________________ mill.
  7. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  8. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  9. You don't need to ________________ round.
  10. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  11. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  12. We're almost out of ________________.
  13. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  14. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  15. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  16. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  17. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  18. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  19. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  20. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  21. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  22. He is an ace ________________.
  23. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  24. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.

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

Answer key

  1. court — for sport
  2. kid — child
  3. branch — of a bank
  4. saw — the tool
  5. branch — of a tree
  6. saw — the tool
  7. court — of a king
  8. pitcher — a jug
  9. pop — to visit
  10. racket — for tennis
  11. pop — music
  12. pop — soda
  13. court — of law
  14. racket — a loud noise
  15. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  16. branch — a division
  17. pitcher — a jug
  18. saw — past of 'see'
  19. racket — for tennis
  20. drill — the tool
  21. kid — to tease
  22. pitcher — in baseball
  23. drill — a practice
  24. drill — army training

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