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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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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: wave · ruler · rule · branch · present · court

  1. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  2. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  3. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  4. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  5. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  6. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  7. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  8. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  9. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  10. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  11. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  12. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  13. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  14. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  15. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  16. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  17. The ball is in your ________________.
  18. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.

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

Answer key

  1. wave — a sudden rise
  2. ruler — a monarch
  3. wave — with your hand
  4. court — of law
  5. rule — government
  6. present — a gift
  7. branch — of a bank
  8. branch — of a tree
  9. present — the time now
  10. branch — a division
  11. present — there
  12. court — of a king
  13. ruler — for measuring
  14. rule — a law
  15. wave — of the sea
  16. rule — to rule out
  17. court — for sport
  18. ruler — for measuring

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