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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.

Make a worksheet

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: mine · safe · foot · root · shower · march · branch · court

  1. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  2. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  3. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  4. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  5. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  6. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  7. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  8. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  9. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  10. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  11. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  12. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  13. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  14. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  15. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  16. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  17. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  18. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  19. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  20. The ball is in your ________________.
  21. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  22. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  23. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  24. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.

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

Answer key

  1. mine — an explosive
  2. shower — a meteor shower
  3. branch — a division
  4. foot — a measure
  5. safe — a strongbox
  6. foot — the bottom
  7. safe — out of danger
  8. march — music
  9. court — of a king
  10. branch — of a tree
  11. foot — part of the body
  12. shower — rain
  13. safe — out of danger
  14. branch — of a bank
  15. mine — belonging to me
  16. mine — for digging
  17. march — the month
  18. march — the month
  19. root — the cause
  20. court — for sport
  21. court — of law
  22. shower — to wash
  23. root — of a word
  24. root — of a plant

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