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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 116 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.

Words on the sheet
468
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: ground · kick · root · bass · pit · mine · court · branch

  1. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  2. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  3. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  4. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  5. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  6. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  7. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  8. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  9. The ball is in your ________________.
  10. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  11. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  12. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  13. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  14. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  15. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  16. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  17. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  18. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  19. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  20. There's no middle ________________.
  21. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  22. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  23. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  24. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.

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

Answer key

  1. branch — of a bank
  2. kick — with a leg
  3. mine — belonging to me
  4. bass — the instrument
  5. branch — a division
  6. kick — in football
  7. court — of a king
  8. kick — a thrill
  9. court — for sport
  10. bass — low music
  11. pit — a hole
  12. root — of a plant
  13. ground — the earth
  14. branch — of a tree
  15. court — of law
  16. root — of a word
  17. bass — the fish
  18. pit — a fruit stone
  19. ground — crushed
  20. ground — a position
  21. pit — in a race
  22. mine — for digging
  23. mine — an explosive
  24. root — the cause

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