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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.

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: bulb · court · wake · staff · stick · fall · branch · file

  1. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  2. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  3. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  4. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  5. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  6. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  7. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  8. I've got to change the light ________________.
  9. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  10. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  11. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  12. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  13. The ball is in your ________________.
  14. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  15. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  16. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  17. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  18. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  19. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  20. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  21. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  22. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  23. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  24. The light ________________ burned out.

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

Answer key

  1. branch — of a tree
  2. branch — of a bank
  3. stick — to attach or keep to
  4. staff — employees
  5. fall — the season
  6. court — of a king
  7. staff — employees
  8. bulb — for light
  9. file — a line of people
  10. fall — to drop
  11. wake — before a funeral
  12. fall — to drop
  13. court — for sport
  14. branch — a division
  15. file — a document
  16. staff — a stick
  17. stick — a piece of wood
  18. court — of law
  19. file — a tool
  20. stick — a piece of wood
  21. wake — to stop sleeping
  22. wake — a trail
  23. bulb — of a plant
  24. bulb — for light

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