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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 120 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: staff · bark · court · rock · nail · track · ball · branch

  1. The ball is in your ________________.
  2. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  3. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  4. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  5. The King held a masked ________________.
  6. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  7. The ________________ went through the wall.
  8. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  9. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  10. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  11. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  12. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  13. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  14. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  15. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  16. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  17. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  18. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  19. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  20. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  21. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  22. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  23. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  24. The kitten curled into a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. court — for sport
  2. staff — employees
  3. ball — a great time
  4. track — a song
  5. ball — a dance
  6. nail — on a finger
  7. nail — for a hammer
  8. branch — of a tree
  9. staff — a stick
  10. rock — a stone
  11. branch — a division
  12. track — to keep track
  13. court — of a king
  14. rock — music
  15. bark — a dog's sound
  16. court — of law
  17. nail — for a hammer
  18. rock — to move gently
  19. bark — to shout
  20. branch — of a bank
  21. track — a path
  22. bark — of a tree
  23. staff — employees
  24. ball — a round shape

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