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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 120 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: chest · branch · club · spring · rest · chip · mouse · court

  1. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  2. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  3. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  4. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  5. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  6. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  7. The ball is in your ________________.
  8. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  9. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  10. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  11. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  12. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  13. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  14. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  15. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  16. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  17. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  18. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  19. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  20. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  21. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  22. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  23. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  24. The flowers bloom in the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. mouse — the animal
  2. rest — what's left
  3. mouse — for a computer
  4. branch — of a tree
  5. chest — of your body
  6. chip — in a computer
  7. court — for sport
  8. rest — what's left
  9. rest — a break
  10. chest — a box
  11. spring — a coil
  12. chip — to eat
  13. mouse — the animal
  14. branch — of a bank
  15. chip — for betting
  16. court — of a king
  17. club — a group
  18. spring — of water
  19. club — for dancing
  20. court — of law
  21. club — for golf
  22. branch — a division
  23. chest — of your body
  24. spring — the season

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