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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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: rule · ball · toast · court · rest · spring · branch · field

  1. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  2. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  3. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  4. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  5. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  6. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  7. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  8. The King held a masked ________________.
  9. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  10. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  11. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  12. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  13. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  14. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  15. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  16. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  17. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  18. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  19. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  20. The ball is in your ________________.
  21. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  22. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  23. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  24. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.

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

Answer key

  1. spring — a coil
  2. toast — bread
  3. field — for sport
  4. branch — of a tree
  5. toast — the most admired
  6. rest — what's left
  7. ball — a round shape
  8. ball — a dance
  9. branch — a division
  10. court — of a king
  11. rule — to rule out
  12. rest — a break
  13. ball — a great time
  14. rule — government
  15. court — of law
  16. spring — of water
  17. field — farmland
  18. toast — a drink to someone
  19. branch — of a bank
  20. court — for sport
  21. spring — the season
  22. field — a subject
  23. rule — a law
  24. rest — what's left

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