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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: club · bear · pound · branch · land · court · chip · calf

  1. When are we going to ________________?
  2. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  3. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  4. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  5. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  6. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  7. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  8. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  9. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  10. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  11. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  12. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  13. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  14. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  15. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  16. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  17. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  18. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  19. The ball is in your ________________.
  20. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  21. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  22. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  23. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  24. There's a computer ________________ on the table.

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

Answer key

  1. land — to come down
  2. court — of law
  3. chip — for betting
  4. bear — the animal
  5. branch — of a tree
  6. court — of a king
  7. club — for golf
  8. club — a group
  9. land — a country
  10. club — for dancing
  11. pound — for dogs
  12. calf — of the leg
  13. bear — to put up with
  14. branch — of a bank
  15. pound — to hit hard
  16. calf — a young animal
  17. chip — to eat
  18. bear — the animal
  19. court — for sport
  20. land — ground
  21. calf — a young animal
  22. branch — a division
  23. pound — a weight
  24. chip — in a computer

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