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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 120 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: mark · track · cabinet · squash · branch · root · band · court

  1. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  2. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  3. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  4. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  5. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  6. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  7. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  8. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  9. What do you think of the new ________________?
  10. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  11. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  12. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  13. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  14. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  15. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  16. The ball is in your ________________.
  17. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  18. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  19. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  20. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  21. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  22. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  23. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  24. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.

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

Answer key

  1. band — a music group
  2. track — to keep track
  3. track — a song
  4. squash — to crush
  5. branch — of a bank
  6. court — of a king
  7. band — a rubber band
  8. mark — a grade
  9. cabinet — ministers
  10. root — the cause
  11. band — a ring
  12. cabinet — a cupboard
  13. branch — of a tree
  14. branch — a division
  15. track — a path
  16. court — for sport
  17. court — of law
  18. mark — to pay attention
  19. squash — the sport
  20. squash — the vegetable
  21. root — of a plant
  22. mark — a trace
  23. cabinet — ministers
  24. root — of a word

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