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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. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  2. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  3. The ball is in your ________________.
  4. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  5. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  6. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  7. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  8. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  9. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  10. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  11. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  12. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  13. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  14. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  15. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  16. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  17. The King held a masked ________________.
  18. Have you met the new head ________________?
  19. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  20. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  21. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  22. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  23. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  24. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.

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

Answer key

  1. root — of a word
  2. court — of a king
  3. court — for sport
  4. shower — to wash
  5. band — a music group
  6. ball — a great time
  7. ball — a round shape
  8. root — the cause
  9. bank — of a river
  10. shower — rain
  11. coach — a trainer
  12. shower — a meteor shower
  13. band — a ring
  14. bank — for money
  15. coach — pulled by horses
  16. root — of a plant
  17. ball — a dance
  18. coach — a trainer
  19. bank — for money
  20. bark — to shout
  21. bark — of a tree
  22. bark — a dog's sound
  23. court — of law
  24. band — a rubber band

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