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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 · ball · craft · branch · scale · kick · tube · court

  1. I'll be taking the ________________.
  2. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  3. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  4. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  5. The ball is in your ________________.
  6. The King held a masked ________________.
  7. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  8. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  9. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  10. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  11. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  12. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  13. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  14. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  15. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  16. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  17. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  18. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  19. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  20. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  21. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  22. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  23. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  24. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.

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

Answer key

  1. tube — the underground
  2. craft — boats
  3. scale — for weighing
  4. court — of a king
  5. court — for sport
  6. ball — a dance
  7. court — of law
  8. craft — a skill
  9. branch — a division
  10. leaves — to go away
  11. leaves — lets stay
  12. scale — in music
  13. branch — of a tree
  14. kick — a thrill
  15. tube — in a tire
  16. craft — a handicraft
  17. leaves — of a tree
  18. ball — a round shape
  19. kick — with a leg
  20. scale — size or range
  21. branch — of a bank
  22. tube — a container
  23. ball — a great time
  24. kick — in football

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