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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: spell · court · branch · calf · field · press · tube · swing

  1. The ball is in your ________________.
  2. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  3. How do you ________________ your surname?
  4. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  5. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  6. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  7. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  8. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  9. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  10. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  11. Did you ________________ the button?
  12. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  13. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  14. David sat on the ________________.
  15. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  16. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  17. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  18. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  19. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  20. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  21. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  22. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  23. I'll be taking the ________________.
  24. Biology is a ________________ of science.

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

Answer key

  1. court — for sport
  2. court — of law
  3. spell — letters
  4. calf — a young animal
  5. press — a publisher
  6. branch — of a tree
  7. calf — of the leg
  8. spell — a short time
  9. field — farmland
  10. branch — of a bank
  11. press — to push
  12. court — of a king
  13. tube — in a tire
  14. swing — to play on
  15. field — a subject
  16. calf — a young animal
  17. swing — music
  18. press — newspapers
  19. spell — magic
  20. field — for sport
  21. tube — a container
  22. swing — in golf
  23. tube — the underground
  24. branch — a division

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