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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
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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: calf · court · cold · jam · fall · content · rush · branch

  1. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  2. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  3. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  4. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  5. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  6. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  7. That must've been a ________________.
  8. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  9. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  10. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  11. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  12. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  13. The water is too ________________.
  14. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  15. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  16. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  17. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  18. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  19. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  20. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  21. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  22. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  23. The ball is in your ________________.
  24. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.

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

Answer key

  1. jam — a tight spot
  2. cold — the Cold War
  3. branch — of a tree
  4. fall — to drop
  5. branch — a division
  6. cold — an illness
  7. rush — a thrill
  8. calf — a young animal
  9. rush — to hurry
  10. rush — hurry
  11. court — of law
  12. content — videos and posts
  13. cold — not warm
  14. content — happy
  15. calf — a young animal
  16. jam — in traffic
  17. fall — to drop
  18. content — the amount
  19. calf — of the leg
  20. court — of a king
  21. jam — to spread on bread
  22. branch — of a bank
  23. court — for sport
  24. fall — the season

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