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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: temple · court · band · shower · racket · drill · branch · bowl

  1. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  2. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  3. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  4. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  5. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  6. The ball is in your ________________.
  7. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  8. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  9. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  10. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  11. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  12. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  13. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  14. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  15. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  16. When was this ________________ built?
  17. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  18. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  19. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  20. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  21. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  22. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  23. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  24. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.

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

Answer key

  1. shower — a meteor shower
  2. branch — of a tree
  3. shower — rain
  4. racket — for tennis
  5. branch — of a bank
  6. court — for sport
  7. shower — to wash
  8. band — a music group
  9. temple — a place of worship
  10. drill — the tool
  11. racket — for tennis
  12. temple — side of the head
  13. racket — a loud noise
  14. bowl — a football final
  15. branch — a division
  16. temple — a place of worship
  17. court — of law
  18. bowl — a dish
  19. drill — a practice
  20. band — a rubber band
  21. band — a ring
  22. bowl — to roll
  23. drill — army training
  24. court — of a king

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