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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. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  2. Where did you ________________ them?
  3. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  4. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  5. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  6. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  7. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  8. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  9. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  10. Have you settled on a ________________?
  11. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  12. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  13. The ball is in your ________________.
  14. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  15. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  16. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  17. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  18. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  19. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  20. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  21. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  22. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  23. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  24. He refilled his coffee ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. court — of a king
  2. mug — to rob
  3. racket — a loud noise
  4. root — of a word
  5. stick — a piece of wood
  6. branch — of a tree
  7. branch — a division
  8. wind — moving air
  9. date — on the calendar
  10. date — on the calendar
  11. root — of a plant
  12. stick — to attach or keep to
  13. court — for sport
  14. wind — moving air
  15. mug — a face
  16. stick — a piece of wood
  17. court — of law
  18. date — the fruit
  19. racket — for tennis
  20. root — the cause
  21. wind — to turn a key
  22. racket — for tennis
  23. branch — of a bank
  24. mug — a cup

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