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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: branch · trunk · season · bass · court · saw · plane · ground

  1. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  2. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  3. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  4. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  5. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  6. Did you ________________ the meat?
  7. He works in a ________________ mill.
  8. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  9. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  10. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  11. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  12. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  13. There's no middle ________________.
  14. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  15. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  16. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  17. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  18. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  19. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  20. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  21. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  22. The ball is in your ________________.
  23. The ________________ took off on time.
  24. She's very handy with a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. court — of law
  2. ground — crushed
  3. trunk — of a tree
  4. branch — of a bank
  5. plane — a tool
  6. season — to add flavour
  7. saw — the tool
  8. court — of a king
  9. branch — a division
  10. ground — the earth
  11. bass — low music
  12. plane — in geometry
  13. ground — a position
  14. saw — past of 'see'
  15. season — of the year
  16. branch — of a tree
  17. bass — the fish
  18. trunk — of a car
  19. season — in sport
  20. trunk — of an elephant
  21. bass — the instrument
  22. court — for sport
  23. plane — an aircraft
  24. saw — the tool

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