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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: pop · board · foot · bank · court · wake · bound · branch

  1. We're almost out of ________________.
  2. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  3. That was ________________ to happen.
  4. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  5. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  6. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  7. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  8. You don't need to ________________ round.
  9. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  10. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  11. The ball is in your ________________.
  12. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  13. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  14. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  15. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  16. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  17. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  18. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  19. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  20. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  21. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  22. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  23. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  24. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.

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

Answer key

  1. pop — soda
  2. wake — to stop sleeping
  3. bound — certain
  4. foot — the bottom
  5. bank — of a river
  6. foot — a measure
  7. bank — for money
  8. pop — to visit
  9. board — a committee
  10. bound — obliged
  11. court — for sport
  12. foot — part of the body
  13. branch — a division
  14. bank — for money
  15. wake — a trail
  16. board — a flat piece
  17. wake — before a funeral
  18. branch — of a bank
  19. bound — tied together
  20. court — of a king
  21. branch — of a tree
  22. board — to get on
  23. pop — music
  24. court — of law

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