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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 116 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: mine · spring · row · court · calf · rock · wax · rule

  1. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  2. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  3. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  4. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  5. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  6. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  7. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  8. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  9. The ball is in your ________________.
  10. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  11. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  12. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  13. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  14. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  15. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  16. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  17. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  18. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  19. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  20. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  21. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  22. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  23. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  24. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.

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

Answer key

  1. court — of a king
  2. mine — an explosive
  3. mine — belonging to me
  4. rule — a law
  5. wax — to grow
  6. rule — to rule out
  7. wax — in the ear
  8. calf — a young animal
  9. court — for sport
  10. row — a quarrel
  11. rock — music
  12. rock — to move gently
  13. calf — a young animal
  14. mine — for digging
  15. row — a line
  16. court — of law
  17. spring — the season
  18. wax — for sculpting
  19. calf — of the leg
  20. rule — government
  21. rock — a stone
  22. spring — of water
  23. row — to paddle
  24. spring — a coil

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