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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: mug · pound · branch · net · foot · ground · court · trunk

  1. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  2. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  3. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  4. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  5. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  6. The ball is in your ________________.
  7. Where did you ________________ them?
  8. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  9. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  10. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  11. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  12. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  13. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  14. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  15. There's no middle ________________.
  16. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  17. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  18. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  19. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  20. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  21. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  22. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  23. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  24. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.

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

Answer key

  1. foot — the bottom
  2. foot — a measure
  3. branch — of a tree
  4. pound — to hit hard
  5. mug — a face
  6. court — for sport
  7. mug — to rob
  8. ground — the earth
  9. foot — part of the body
  10. net — for catching
  11. mug — a cup
  12. trunk — of an elephant
  13. ground — crushed
  14. net — in sport
  15. ground — a position
  16. pound — for dogs
  17. trunk — of a tree
  18. court — of a king
  19. trunk — of a car
  20. branch — a division
  21. court — of law
  22. pound — a weight
  23. net — after costs
  24. branch — of a bank

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