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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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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 · rush · bulb · file · chair · spell · coach · branch

  1. The light ________________ burned out.
  2. That must've been a ________________.
  3. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  4. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  5. The ball is in your ________________.
  6. I've got to change the light ________________.
  7. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  8. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  9. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  10. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  11. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  12. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  13. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  14. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  15. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  16. Have you met the new head ________________?
  17. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  18. How do you ________________ your surname?
  19. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  20. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  21. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  22. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  23. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  24. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bulb — for light
  2. rush — a thrill
  3. branch — a division
  4. branch — of a bank
  5. court — for sport
  6. bulb — for light
  7. bulb — of a plant
  8. chair — to sit on
  9. coach — a trainer
  10. coach — pulled by horses
  11. file — a tool
  12. spell — a short time
  13. rush — hurry
  14. court — of a king
  15. spell — magic
  16. coach — a trainer
  17. branch — of a tree
  18. spell — letters
  19. court — of law
  20. chair — a leader
  21. chair — a professorship
  22. rush — to hurry
  23. file — a document
  24. file — a line of people

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