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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: wave · ball · court · club · fine · branch · saw · pound

  1. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  2. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  3. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  4. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  5. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  6. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  7. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  8. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  9. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  10. The ball is in your ________________.
  11. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  12. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  13. He works in a ________________ mill.
  14. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  15. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  16. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  17. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  18. She's very handy with a ________________.
  19. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  20. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  21. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  22. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  23. The King held a masked ________________.
  24. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.

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

Answer key

  1. branch — of a bank
  2. ball — a great time
  3. ball — a round shape
  4. club — for dancing
  5. wave — with your hand
  6. fine — high quality
  7. pound — to hit hard
  8. club — for golf
  9. pound — for dogs
  10. court — for sport
  11. court — of a king
  12. fine — all right
  13. saw — the tool
  14. pound — a weight
  15. branch — of a tree
  16. saw — past of 'see'
  17. club — a group
  18. saw — the tool
  19. wave — a sudden rise
  20. branch — a division
  21. wave — of the sea
  22. court — of law
  23. ball — a dance
  24. fine — a penalty

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