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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: fan · clip · game · safe · bore · dip · branch · court

  1. The ball is in your ________________.
  2. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  3. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  4. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  5. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  6. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  7. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  8. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  9. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  10. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  11. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  12. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  13. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  14. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  15. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  16. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  17. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  18. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  19. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  20. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  21. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  22. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  23. That was a fun ________________.
  24. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.

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

Answer key

  1. court — for sport
  2. branch — of a tree
  3. game — a kind of play
  4. fan — to cool the air
  5. dip — a sauce
  6. dip — to dunk
  7. branch — of a bank
  8. game — wild animals
  9. bore — gave birth
  10. fan — a supporter
  11. fan — a supporter
  12. safe — a strongbox
  13. bore — to drill
  14. clip — a video
  15. clip — for paper
  16. dip — to sink
  17. bore — to tire
  18. court — of law
  19. court — of a king
  20. safe — out of danger
  21. branch — a division
  22. safe — out of danger
  23. game — a match
  24. clip — to cut

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