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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: rock · rest · face · court · branch · ground · stand · bass

  1. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  2. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  3. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  4. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  5. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  6. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  7. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  8. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  9. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  10. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  11. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  12. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  13. The ball is in your ________________.
  14. I can't ________________ this cold.
  15. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  16. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  17. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  18. There's no middle ________________.
  19. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  20. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  21. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  22. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  23. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  24. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.

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

Answer key

  1. court — of a king
  2. rest — what's left
  3. rock — music
  4. rock — to move gently
  5. bass — low music
  6. face — to point toward
  7. branch — a division
  8. bass — the instrument
  9. branch — of a bank
  10. rock — a stone
  11. face — part of the head
  12. court — of law
  13. court — for sport
  14. stand — to bear
  15. branch — of a tree
  16. rest — a break
  17. ground — crushed
  18. ground — a position
  19. stand — for spectators
  20. stand — on your feet
  21. ground — the earth
  22. face — to confront
  23. bass — the fish
  24. rest — what's left

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