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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: court · foot · perch · deal · ground · current · bank · branch

  1. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  2. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  3. There's no middle ________________.
  4. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  5. The ball is in your ________________.
  6. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  7. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  8. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  9. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  10. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  11. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  12. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  13. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  14. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  15. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  16. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  17. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  18. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  19. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  20. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  21. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  22. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  23. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  24. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.

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

Answer key

  1. bank — for money
  2. ground — the earth
  3. ground — a position
  4. current — electric
  5. court — for sport
  6. perch — for a bird
  7. deal — an agreement
  8. branch — of a tree
  9. foot — part of the body
  10. bank — for money
  11. court — of a king
  12. branch — of a bank
  13. current — of water
  14. bank — of a river
  15. deal — a big deal
  16. ground — crushed
  17. branch — a division
  18. foot — a measure
  19. deal — to handle
  20. foot — the bottom
  21. perch — for a bird
  22. perch — the fish
  23. current — happening now
  24. court — of law

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