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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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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: staff · racket · vault · branch · fall · rest · patient · court

  1. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  2. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  3. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  4. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  5. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  6. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  7. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  8. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  9. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  10. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  11. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  12. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  13. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  14. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  15. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  16. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  17. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  18. The ball is in your ________________.
  19. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  20. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  21. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  22. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  23. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  24. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. fall — to drop
  2. fall — to drop
  3. fall — the season
  4. staff — a stick
  5. patient — a sick person
  6. rest — what's left
  7. vault — an arched ceiling
  8. branch — of a bank
  9. court — of law
  10. staff — employees
  11. rest — a break
  12. vault — a safe
  13. patient — a sick person
  14. branch — of a tree
  15. racket — for tennis
  16. branch — a division
  17. vault — in gymnastics
  18. court — for sport
  19. rest — what's left
  20. racket — for tennis
  21. staff — employees
  22. court — of a king
  23. patient — calm and waiting
  24. racket — a loud noise

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