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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.

Make a worksheet

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: court · bark · branch · safe · firm · bowl · season · present

  1. Did you ________________ the meat?
  2. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  3. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  4. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  5. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  6. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  7. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  8. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  9. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  10. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  11. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  12. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  13. The ball is in your ________________.
  14. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  15. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  16. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  17. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  18. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  19. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  20. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  21. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  22. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  23. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  24. Biology is a ________________ of science.

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

Answer key

  1. season — to add flavour
  2. present — a gift
  3. firm — steady
  4. court — of a king
  5. branch — of a bank
  6. present — there
  7. bark — a dog's sound
  8. season — of the year
  9. bark — of a tree
  10. court — of law
  11. bowl — to roll
  12. bowl — a dish
  13. court — for sport
  14. season — in sport
  15. branch — of a tree
  16. bark — to shout
  17. present — the time now
  18. bowl — a football final
  19. safe — out of danger
  20. safe — out of danger
  21. firm — decided
  22. safe — a strongbox
  23. firm — a company
  24. branch — a division

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