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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 116 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 · bank · branch · cabinet · mate · cell · march · court

  1. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  2. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  3. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  4. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  5. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  6. What do you think of the new ________________?
  7. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  8. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  9. He was locked up in a ________________.
  10. The ball is in your ________________.
  11. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  12. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  13. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  14. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  15. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  16. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  17. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  18. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  19. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  20. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  21. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  22. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  23. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  24. Have you found your soul ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. object — to protest
  2. mate — a friend
  3. branch — of a tree
  4. bank — for money
  5. court — of law
  6. cabinet — ministers
  7. cell — a phone
  8. mate — to breed
  9. cell — in a prison
  10. court — for sport
  11. march — the month
  12. branch — a division
  13. court — of a king
  14. cell — in biology
  15. cabinet — a cupboard
  16. object — an aim
  17. cabinet — ministers
  18. branch — of a bank
  19. object — a thing
  20. bank — of a river
  21. bank — for money
  22. march — the month
  23. march — music
  24. mate — a partner

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