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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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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  2. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  3. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  4. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  5. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  6. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  7. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  8. The ball is in your ________________.
  9. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  10. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  11. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  12. Have you met the new head ________________?
  13. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  14. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  15. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  16. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  17. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  18. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  19. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  20. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  21. My mare is ________________ in color.
  22. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  23. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  24. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.

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

Answer key

  1. wind — to turn a key
  2. bay — a part of the sea
  3. court — of a king
  4. root — of a plant
  5. root — the cause
  6. branch — a division
  7. coach — a trainer
  8. court — for sport
  9. bowl — a dish
  10. root — of a word
  11. bowl — to roll
  12. coach — a trainer
  13. branch — of a bank
  14. branch — of a tree
  15. fine — a penalty
  16. court — of law
  17. fine — all right
  18. fine — high quality
  19. bay — to keep at bay
  20. wind — moving air
  21. bay — a horse colour
  22. coach — pulled by horses
  23. wind — moving air
  24. bowl — a football final

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