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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: leaves · file · branch · hand · rest · saw · trunk · court

  1. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  2. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  3. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  4. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  5. The ball is in your ________________.
  6. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  7. She's very handy with a ________________.
  8. He works in a ________________ mill.
  9. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  10. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  11. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  12. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  13. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  14. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  15. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  16. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  17. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  18. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  19. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  20. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  21. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  22. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  23. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  24. Do you need a ________________ with that?

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

Answer key

  1. branch — of a tree
  2. branch — a division
  3. rest — what's left
  4. leaves — lets stay
  5. court — for sport
  6. file — a line of people
  7. saw — the tool
  8. saw — the tool
  9. hand — in cards
  10. leaves — of a tree
  11. trunk — of a tree
  12. hand — part of the body
  13. rest — what's left
  14. leaves — to go away
  15. court — of law
  16. trunk — of an elephant
  17. rest — a break
  18. file — a document
  19. branch — of a bank
  20. saw — past of 'see'
  21. trunk — of a car
  22. court — of a king
  23. file — a tool
  24. hand — help

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