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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: branch · press · court · jam · perch · wax · pass · pound

  1. The ball is in your ________________.
  2. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  3. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  4. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  5. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  6. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  7. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  8. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  9. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  10. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  11. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  12. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  13. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  14. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  15. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  16. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  17. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  18. Did you ________________ the button?
  19. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  20. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  21. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  22. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  23. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  24. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.

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

Answer key

  1. court — for sport
  2. pass — to succeed
  3. wax — for sculpting
  4. court — of a king
  5. wax — to grow
  6. pound — to hit hard
  7. branch — a division
  8. press — a publisher
  9. jam — to spread on bread
  10. pass — to spend time
  11. branch — of a tree
  12. press — newspapers
  13. jam — a tight spot
  14. wax — in the ear
  15. pound — a weight
  16. court — of law
  17. branch — of a bank
  18. press — to push
  19. pound — for dogs
  20. jam — in traffic
  21. perch — for a bird
  22. pass — a permit
  23. perch — for a bird
  24. perch — the fish

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