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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: hide · club · hand · mine · can · branch · wound · court

  1. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  2. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  3. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  4. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  5. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  6. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  7. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  8. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  9. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  10. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  11. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  12. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  13. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  14. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  15. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  16. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  17. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  18. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  19. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  20. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  21. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  22. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  23. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  24. The ball is in your ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. branch — a division
  2. branch — of a bank
  3. club — a group
  4. can — a tin
  5. wound — an injury
  6. mine — an explosive
  7. can — to be able to
  8. hand — help
  9. wound — an injury
  10. hand — in cards
  11. club — for golf
  12. mine — for digging
  13. mine — belonging to me
  14. wound — past of 'wind'
  15. hide — to keep secret
  16. court — of law
  17. hand — part of the body
  18. hide — animal skin
  19. hide — to keep secret
  20. can — a tin
  21. court — of a king
  22. branch — of a tree
  23. club — for dancing
  24. court — for sport

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