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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: face · branch · root · jam · stem · ball · cell · court

  1. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  2. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  3. The ball is in your ________________.
  4. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  5. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  6. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  7. He was locked up in a ________________.
  8. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  9. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  10. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  11. The King held a masked ________________.
  12. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  13. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  14. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  15. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  16. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  17. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  18. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  19. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  20. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  21. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  22. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  23. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  24. Biology is a ________________ of science.

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

Answer key

  1. court — of law
  2. jam — to spread on bread
  3. court — for sport
  4. branch — of a bank
  5. stem — a stem cell
  6. court — of a king
  7. cell — in a prison
  8. stem — to come from
  9. ball — a round shape
  10. root — of a plant
  11. ball — a dance
  12. face — part of the head
  13. jam — a tight spot
  14. jam — in traffic
  15. face — to point toward
  16. cell — in biology
  17. face — to confront
  18. stem — of a plant
  19. root — the cause
  20. cell — a phone
  21. branch — of a tree
  22. root — of a word
  23. ball — a great time
  24. branch — a division

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