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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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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 · staff · shower · firm · rock · court · leaves · root

  1. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  2. The ball is in your ________________.
  3. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  4. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  5. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  6. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  7. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  8. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  9. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  10. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  11. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  12. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  13. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  14. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  15. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  16. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  17. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  18. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  19. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  20. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  21. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  22. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  23. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  24. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?

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

Answer key

  1. rock — to move gently
  2. court — for sport
  3. leaves — lets stay
  4. shower — a meteor shower
  5. staff — employees
  6. firm — a company
  7. leaves — to go away
  8. leaves — of a tree
  9. court — of law
  10. root — of a plant
  11. court — of a king
  12. firm — steady
  13. root — of a word
  14. staff — employees
  15. firm — decided
  16. branch — a division
  17. shower — rain
  18. staff — a stick
  19. root — the cause
  20. shower — to wash
  21. rock — a stone
  22. branch — of a tree
  23. branch — of a bank
  24. rock — music

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