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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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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: wind · bound · branch · court · ball · current · root · calf

  1. The King held a masked ________________.
  2. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  3. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  4. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  5. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  6. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  7. That was ________________ to happen.
  8. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  9. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  10. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  11. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  12. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  13. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  14. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  15. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  16. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  17. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  18. The ball is in your ________________.
  19. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  20. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  21. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  22. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  23. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  24. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.

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

Answer key

  1. ball — a dance
  2. branch — of a bank
  3. court — of a king
  4. bound — obliged
  5. root — of a word
  6. branch — a division
  7. bound — certain
  8. ball — a round shape
  9. wind — moving air
  10. root — the cause
  11. current — happening now
  12. current — electric
  13. ball — a great time
  14. calf — of the leg
  15. branch — of a tree
  16. current — of water
  17. bound — tied together
  18. court — for sport
  19. court — of law
  20. root — of a plant
  21. wind — moving air
  22. calf — a young animal
  23. wind — to turn a key
  24. calf — a young animal

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