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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 · present · scale · plane · track · branch · rush · toast

  1. The ball is in your ________________.
  2. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  3. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  4. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  5. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  6. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  7. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  8. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  9. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  10. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  11. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  12. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  13. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  14. That must've been a ________________.
  15. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  16. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  17. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  18. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  19. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  20. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  21. The ________________ took off on time.
  22. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  23. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  24. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.

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

Answer key

  1. court — for sport
  2. branch — a division
  3. branch — of a tree
  4. toast — the most admired
  5. present — a gift
  6. court — of law
  7. rush — hurry
  8. toast — a drink to someone
  9. scale — in music
  10. track — a song
  11. track — to keep track
  12. present — the time now
  13. branch — of a bank
  14. rush — a thrill
  15. scale — for weighing
  16. plane — in geometry
  17. plane — a tool
  18. rush — to hurry
  19. toast — bread
  20. scale — size or range
  21. plane — an aircraft
  22. track — a path
  23. court — of a king
  24. present — there

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