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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: jam · last · court · cold · scale · charge · bear · branch

  1. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  2. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  3. The water is too ________________.
  4. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  5. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  6. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  7. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  8. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  9. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  10. The tickets are free of ________________.
  11. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  12. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  13. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  14. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  15. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  16. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  17. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  18. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  19. False peace will not ________________.
  20. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  21. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  22. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  23. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  24. The ball is in your ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. jam — to spread on bread
  2. bear — the animal
  3. cold — not warm
  4. bear — the animal
  5. court — of law
  6. cold — the Cold War
  7. court — of a king
  8. bear — to put up with
  9. last — finally
  10. charge — a price
  11. charge — in control
  12. scale — size or range
  13. branch — of a bank
  14. jam — a tight spot
  15. last — final
  16. branch — of a tree
  17. branch — a division
  18. cold — an illness
  19. last — to go on
  20. scale — for weighing
  21. scale — in music
  22. charge — electricity
  23. jam — in traffic
  24. court — for sport

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