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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.

Words on the sheet
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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: fall · hide · squash · hand · court · kick · staff · branch

  1. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  2. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  3. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  4. The ball is in your ________________.
  5. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  6. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  7. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  8. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  9. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  10. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  11. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  12. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  13. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  14. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  15. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  16. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  17. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  18. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  19. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  20. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  21. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  22. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  23. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  24. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.

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

Answer key

  1. court — of law
  2. hide — to keep secret
  3. kick — with a leg
  4. court — for sport
  5. hide — animal skin
  6. fall — to drop
  7. staff — a stick
  8. hand — in cards
  9. court — of a king
  10. hide — to keep secret
  11. fall — the season
  12. kick — in football
  13. fall — to drop
  14. branch — of a bank
  15. branch — a division
  16. squash — to crush
  17. kick — a thrill
  18. hand — part of the body
  19. hand — help
  20. branch — of a tree
  21. squash — the vegetable
  22. squash — the sport
  23. staff — employees
  24. staff — employees

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