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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: court · hand · craft · ball · wax · branch · band · leaves

  1. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  2. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  3. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  4. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  5. The ball is in your ________________.
  6. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  7. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  8. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  9. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  10. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  11. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  12. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  13. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  14. The King held a masked ________________.
  15. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  16. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  17. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  18. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  19. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  20. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  21. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  22. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  23. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  24. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.

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

Answer key

  1. leaves — of a tree
  2. band — a music group
  3. branch — a division
  4. ball — a round shape
  5. court — for sport
  6. branch — of a tree
  7. leaves — to go away
  8. ball — a great time
  9. craft — boats
  10. branch — of a bank
  11. band — a ring
  12. hand — in cards
  13. wax — for sculpting
  14. ball — a dance
  15. craft — a handicraft
  16. craft — a skill
  17. hand — help
  18. band — a rubber band
  19. hand — part of the body
  20. wax — to grow
  21. leaves — lets stay
  22. wax — in the ear
  23. court — of law
  24. court — of a king

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