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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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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 · kick · press · wax · deal · racket · bay · branch

  1. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  2. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  3. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  4. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  5. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  6. Did you ________________ the button?
  7. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  8. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  9. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  10. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  11. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  12. My mare is ________________ in color.
  13. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  14. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  15. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  16. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  17. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  18. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  19. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  20. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  21. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  22. The ball is in your ________________.
  23. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  24. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. branch — of a tree
  2. deal — an agreement
  3. deal — a big deal
  4. kick — in football
  5. court — of a king
  6. press — to push
  7. wax — for sculpting
  8. bay — to keep at bay
  9. branch — a division
  10. racket — for tennis
  11. racket — for tennis
  12. bay — a horse colour
  13. wax — in the ear
  14. court — of law
  15. wax — to grow
  16. deal — to handle
  17. kick — a thrill
  18. press — a publisher
  19. racket — a loud noise
  20. branch — of a bank
  21. kick — with a leg
  22. court — for sport
  23. press — newspapers
  24. bay — a part of the sea

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