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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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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: stand · court · branch · wake · last · kick · bear · race

  1. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  2. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  3. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  4. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  5. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  6. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  7. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  8. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  9. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  10. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  11. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  12. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  13. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  14. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  15. I can't ________________ this cold.
  16. The ball is in your ________________.
  17. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  18. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  19. False peace will not ________________.
  20. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  21. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  22. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  23. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  24. Biology is a ________________ of science.

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

Answer key

  1. last — finally
  2. last — final
  3. bear — the animal
  4. court — of a king
  5. race — a contest
  6. wake — before a funeral
  7. kick — with a leg
  8. bear — the animal
  9. race — the arms race
  10. wake — to stop sleeping
  11. kick — in football
  12. branch — of a bank
  13. branch — of a tree
  14. race — humankind
  15. stand — to bear
  16. court — for sport
  17. wake — a trail
  18. court — of law
  19. last — to go on
  20. stand — for spectators
  21. bear — to put up with
  22. stand — on your feet
  23. kick — a thrill
  24. branch — a division

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