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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: root · branch · straw · temple · court · land · arm · band

  1. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  2. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  3. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  4. When are we going to ________________?
  5. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  6. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  7. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  8. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  9. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  10. The ball is in your ________________.
  11. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  12. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  13. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  14. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  15. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  16. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  17. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  18. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  19. My father caught me by the ________________.
  20. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  21. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  22. When was this ________________ built?
  23. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  24. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.

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

Answer key

  1. root — of a word
  2. land — ground
  3. straw — a straw man
  4. land — to come down
  5. band — a music group
  6. court — of law
  7. band — a rubber band
  8. root — the cause
  9. root — of a plant
  10. court — for sport
  11. branch — of a tree
  12. temple — a place of worship
  13. straw — dry grass
  14. arm — part of the body
  15. court — of a king
  16. land — a country
  17. band — a ring
  18. branch — a division
  19. arm — part of the body
  20. straw — to clutch at straws
  21. temple — side of the head
  22. temple — a place of worship
  23. branch — of a bank
  24. arm — a part of something

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