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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: spring · jam · branch · arm · court · date · fall · charge

  1. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  2. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  3. My father caught me by the ________________.
  4. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  5. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  6. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  7. The tickets are free of ________________.
  8. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  9. Have you settled on a ________________?
  10. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  11. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  12. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  13. The ball is in your ________________.
  14. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  15. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  16. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  17. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  18. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  19. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  20. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  21. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  22. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  23. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  24. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.

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

Answer key

  1. spring — a coil
  2. jam — to spread on bread
  3. arm — part of the body
  4. branch — a division
  5. court — of a king
  6. branch — of a bank
  7. charge — a price
  8. arm — a part of something
  9. date — on the calendar
  10. spring — of water
  11. jam — in traffic
  12. charge — in control
  13. court — for sport
  14. court — of law
  15. fall — to drop
  16. charge — electricity
  17. spring — the season
  18. fall — to drop
  19. date — on the calendar
  20. fall — the season
  21. branch — of a tree
  22. jam — a tight spot
  23. arm — part of the body
  24. date — the fruit

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