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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 · branch · bear · toast · hand · fork · mate · leaves

  1. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  2. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  3. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  4. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  5. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  6. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  7. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  8. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  9. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  10. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  11. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  12. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  13. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  14. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  15. The ball is in your ________________.
  16. Have you found your soul ________________?
  17. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  18. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  19. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  20. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  21. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  22. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  23. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  24. I got dealt a bad ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. leaves — lets stay
  2. mate — to breed
  3. court — of a king
  4. toast — the most admired
  5. fork — to eat with
  6. bear — the animal
  7. hand — help
  8. fork — in a road
  9. bear — to put up with
  10. branch — of a tree
  11. fork — a garden tool
  12. branch — a division
  13. bear — the animal
  14. toast — a drink to someone
  15. court — for sport
  16. mate — a partner
  17. mate — a friend
  18. branch — of a bank
  19. hand — part of the body
  20. toast — bread
  21. court — of law
  22. leaves — of a tree
  23. leaves — to go away
  24. hand — in cards

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