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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: branch · pound · face · hand · safe · stock · foot · court

  1. The ball is in your ________________.
  2. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  3. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  4. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  5. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  6. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  7. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  8. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  9. The ________________ market has crashed.
  10. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  11. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  12. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  13. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  14. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  15. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  16. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  17. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  18. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  19. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  20. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  21. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  22. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  23. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  24. I got dealt a bad ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. court — for sport
  2. safe — a strongbox
  3. foot — part of the body
  4. branch — of a tree
  5. foot — a measure
  6. branch — a division
  7. stock — a soup base
  8. face — to confront
  9. stock — shares
  10. pound — to hit hard
  11. court — of law
  12. foot — the bottom
  13. branch — of a bank
  14. hand — part of the body
  15. safe — out of danger
  16. pound — for dogs
  17. face — part of the head
  18. stock — goods
  19. face — to point toward
  20. safe — out of danger
  21. hand — help
  22. pound — a weight
  23. court — of a king
  24. hand — in cards

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