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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: track · root · pit · court · leaves · shower · can · branch

  1. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  2. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  3. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  4. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  5. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  6. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  7. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  8. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  9. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  10. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  11. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  12. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  13. The ball is in your ________________.
  14. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  15. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  16. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  17. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  18. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  19. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  20. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  21. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  22. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  23. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  24. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.

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

Answer key

  1. court — of law
  2. can — a tin
  3. branch — a division
  4. root — the cause
  5. leaves — of a tree
  6. can — a tin
  7. leaves — lets stay
  8. court — of a king
  9. track — a song
  10. root — of a word
  11. shower — to wash
  12. leaves — to go away
  13. court — for sport
  14. root — of a plant
  15. branch — of a tree
  16. shower — a meteor shower
  17. shower — rain
  18. track — a path
  19. can — to be able to
  20. branch — of a bank
  21. track — to keep track
  22. pit — a hole
  23. pit — a fruit stone
  24. pit — in a race

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