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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: leaves · court · date · land · deal · branch · kid · safe

  1. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  2. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  3. Have you settled on a ________________?
  4. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  5. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  6. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  7. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  8. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  9. The ball is in your ________________.
  10. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  11. When are we going to ________________?
  12. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  13. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  14. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  15. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  16. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  17. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  18. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  19. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  20. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  21. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  22. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  23. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  24. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.

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

Answer key

  1. kid — child
  2. date — on the calendar
  3. date — on the calendar
  4. court — of a king
  5. deal — an agreement
  6. branch — a division
  7. safe — out of danger
  8. safe — a strongbox
  9. court — for sport
  10. branch — of a bank
  11. land — to come down
  12. branch — of a tree
  13. land — a country
  14. deal — a big deal
  15. date — the fruit
  16. court — of law
  17. leaves — lets stay
  18. safe — out of danger
  19. kid — to tease
  20. leaves — to go away
  21. deal — to handle
  22. land — ground
  23. leaves — of a tree
  24. kid — young goat (kid gloves)

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