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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: kid · can · wind · calf · arm · branch · scale · court

  1. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  2. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  3. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  4. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  5. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  6. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  7. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  8. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  9. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  10. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  11. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  12. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  13. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  14. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  15. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  16. My father caught me by the ________________.
  17. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  18. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  19. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  20. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  21. The ball is in your ________________.
  22. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  23. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  24. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. court — of law
  2. branch — a division
  3. calf — a young animal
  4. arm — part of the body
  5. kid — to tease
  6. can — a tin
  7. can — a tin
  8. scale — size or range
  9. court — of a king
  10. wind — to turn a key
  11. scale — in music
  12. wind — moving air
  13. branch — of a bank
  14. wind — moving air
  15. calf — of the leg
  16. arm — part of the body
  17. scale — for weighing
  18. calf — a young animal
  19. arm — a part of something
  20. can — to be able to
  21. court — for sport
  22. branch — of a tree
  23. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  24. kid — child

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