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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 · court · net · snap · mark · fine · temple · ground

  1. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  2. The ball is in your ________________.
  3. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  4. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  5. When was this ________________ built?
  6. There's no middle ________________.
  7. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  8. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  9. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  10. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  11. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  12. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  13. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  14. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  15. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  16. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  17. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  18. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  19. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  20. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  21. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  22. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  23. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  24. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.

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

Answer key

  1. snap — to click
  2. court — for sport
  3. branch — of a bank
  4. court — of a king
  5. temple — a place of worship
  6. ground — a position
  7. fine — a penalty
  8. net — in sport
  9. net — for catching
  10. branch — a division
  11. branch — of a tree
  12. temple — side of the head
  13. ground — crushed
  14. court — of law
  15. snap — to snap out of it
  16. net — after costs
  17. temple — a place of worship
  18. mark — to pay attention
  19. fine — all right
  20. mark — a grade
  21. snap — to speak sharply
  22. ground — the earth
  23. mark — a trace
  24. fine — high quality

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