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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: content · root · court · lean · march · rock · rule · branch

  1. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  2. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  3. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  4. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  5. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  6. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  7. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  8. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  9. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  10. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  11. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  12. The ball is in your ________________.
  13. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  14. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  15. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  16. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  17. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  18. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  19. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  20. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  21. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  22. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  23. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  24. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.

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

Answer key

  1. rule — a law
  2. content — happy
  3. content — videos and posts
  4. root — of a plant
  5. branch — of a bank
  6. lean — thin
  7. rule — to rule out
  8. rock — a stone
  9. court — of law
  10. lean — to bend
  11. root — of a word
  12. court — for sport
  13. rock — music
  14. march — the month
  15. root — the cause
  16. march — music
  17. branch — a division
  18. content — the amount
  19. court — of a king
  20. rule — government
  21. branch — of a tree
  22. rock — to move gently
  23. march — the month
  24. lean — to rest against

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