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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.

Make a worksheet

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
468
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: march · spring · key · swing · court · bowl · branch · arm

  1. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  2. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  3. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  4. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  5. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  6. My father caught me by the ________________.
  7. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  8. The ball is in your ________________.
  9. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  10. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  11. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  12. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  13. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  14. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  15. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  16. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  17. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  18. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  19. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  20. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  21. This piece is in a major ________________.
  22. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  23. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  24. David sat on the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. spring — of water
  2. march — the month
  3. arm — a part of something
  4. spring — a coil
  5. branch — a division
  6. arm — part of the body
  7. court — of law
  8. court — for sport
  9. court — of a king
  10. swing — music
  11. branch — of a bank
  12. spring — the season
  13. swing — in golf
  14. bowl — a dish
  15. branch — of a tree
  16. bowl — to roll
  17. arm — part of the body
  18. march — music
  19. march — the month
  20. key — the most important part
  21. key — in music
  22. key — for a lock
  23. bowl — a football final
  24. swing — to play on

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