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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: court · spell · bulb · snap · nail · branch · board · perch

  1. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  2. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  3. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  4. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  5. The light ________________ burned out.
  6. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  7. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  8. The ball is in your ________________.
  9. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  10. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  11. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  12. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  13. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  14. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  15. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  16. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  17. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  18. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  19. The ________________ went through the wall.
  20. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  21. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  22. I've got to change the light ________________.
  23. How do you ________________ your surname?
  24. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.

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

Answer key

  1. nail — on a finger
  2. board — a committee
  3. branch — of a tree
  4. bulb — of a plant
  5. bulb — for light
  6. snap — to snap out of it
  7. board — to get on
  8. court — for sport
  9. perch — for a bird
  10. snap — to speak sharply
  11. spell — a short time
  12. board — a flat piece
  13. perch — for a bird
  14. spell — magic
  15. branch — of a bank
  16. nail — for a hammer
  17. snap — to click
  18. court — of law
  19. nail — for a hammer
  20. branch — a division
  21. perch — the fish
  22. bulb — for light
  23. spell — letters
  24. court — of a king

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