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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: lean · court · chair · nail · fork · branch · fan · object

  1. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  2. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  3. The ball is in your ________________.
  4. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  5. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  6. The ________________ went through the wall.
  7. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  8. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  9. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  10. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  11. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  12. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  13. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  14. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  15. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  16. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  17. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  18. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  19. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  20. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  21. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  22. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  23. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  24. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. lean — to bend
  2. branch — a division
  3. court — for sport
  4. lean — to rest against
  5. fork — a garden tool
  6. nail — for a hammer
  7. branch — of a tree
  8. fan — a supporter
  9. nail — for a hammer
  10. lean — thin
  11. branch — of a bank
  12. object — to protest
  13. fan — to cool the air
  14. chair — a professorship
  15. court — of law
  16. court — of a king
  17. fork — in a road
  18. object — an aim
  19. nail — on a finger
  20. fan — a supporter
  21. chair — a leader
  22. fork — to eat with
  23. object — a thing
  24. chair — to sit 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