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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
468
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 · tube · bore · arm · branch · cell · fan · rash

  1. Don't do anything ________________.
  2. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  3. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  4. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  5. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  6. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  7. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  8. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  9. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  10. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  11. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  12. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  13. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  14. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  15. He was locked up in a ________________.
  16. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  17. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  18. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  19. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  20. I'll be taking the ________________.
  21. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  22. The ball is in your ________________.
  23. My father caught me by the ________________.
  24. Biology is a ________________ of science.

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

Answer key

  1. rash — hasty
  2. rash — a series
  3. fan — a supporter
  4. tube — a container
  5. tube — in a tire
  6. fan — to cool the air
  7. bore — to drill
  8. arm — part of the body
  9. cell — in biology
  10. fan — a supporter
  11. rash — on the skin
  12. court — of law
  13. arm — a part of something
  14. bore — gave birth
  15. cell — in a prison
  16. bore — to tire
  17. branch — of a bank
  18. branch — of a tree
  19. court — of a king
  20. tube — the underground
  21. cell — a phone
  22. court — for sport
  23. arm — part of the body
  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