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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: court · dip · bass · root · track · prune · branch · bear

  1. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  2. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  3. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  4. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  5. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  6. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  7. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  8. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  9. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  10. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  11. The ball is in your ________________.
  12. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  13. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  14. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  15. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  16. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  17. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  18. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  19. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  20. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  21. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  22. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  23. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  24. A ________________ is just a dried plum.

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

Answer key

  1. dip — a sauce
  2. bass — low music
  3. track — a song
  4. track — a path
  5. dip — to sink
  6. bear — the animal
  7. root — of a plant
  8. branch — of a tree
  9. dip — to dunk
  10. track — to keep track
  11. court — for sport
  12. bass — the fish
  13. court — of a king
  14. bass — the instrument
  15. bear — the animal
  16. root — of a word
  17. prune — to trim
  18. root — the cause
  19. prune — to trim
  20. branch — of a bank
  21. court — of law
  22. bear — to put up with
  23. branch — a division
  24. prune — the fruit

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