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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: pop · branch · rest · court · bulb · club · root · stock

  1. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  2. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  3. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  4. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  5. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  6. The ball is in your ________________.
  7. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  8. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  9. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  10. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  11. You don't need to ________________ round.
  12. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  13. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  14. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  15. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  16. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  17. I've got to change the light ________________.
  18. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  19. The light ________________ burned out.
  20. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  21. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  22. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  23. We're almost out of ________________.
  24. The ________________ market has crashed.

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

Answer key

  1. club — a group
  2. branch — of a tree
  3. bulb — of a plant
  4. club — for golf
  5. pop — music
  6. court — for sport
  7. club — for dancing
  8. root — the cause
  9. court — of a king
  10. branch — of a bank
  11. pop — to visit
  12. rest — a break
  13. stock — goods
  14. stock — a soup base
  15. court — of law
  16. branch — a division
  17. bulb — for light
  18. root — of a word
  19. bulb — for light
  20. rest — what's left
  21. root — of a plant
  22. rest — what's left
  23. pop — soda
  24. stock — shares

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