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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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: root · pop · perch · branch · bowl · press · bore · court

  1. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  2. The ball is in your ________________.
  3. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  4. Did you ________________ the button?
  5. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  6. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  7. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  8. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  9. We're almost out of ________________.
  10. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  11. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  12. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  13. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  14. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  15. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  16. You don't need to ________________ round.
  17. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  18. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  19. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  20. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  21. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  22. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  23. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  24. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.

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

Answer key

  1. bowl — a football final
  2. court — for sport
  3. bowl — a dish
  4. press — to push
  5. court — of law
  6. branch — a division
  7. bore — to drill
  8. root — of a word
  9. pop — soda
  10. perch — for a bird
  11. root — of a plant
  12. perch — the fish
  13. bore — gave birth
  14. press — newspapers
  15. root — the cause
  16. pop — to visit
  17. press — a publisher
  18. branch — of a bank
  19. branch — of a tree
  20. bowl — to roll
  21. perch — for a bird
  22. bore — to tire
  23. court — of a king
  24. pop — 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