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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: bank · prune · court · board · rule · rash · root · safe

  1. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  2. Don't do anything ________________.
  3. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  4. The ball is in your ________________.
  5. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  6. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  7. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  8. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  9. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  10. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  11. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  12. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  13. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  14. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  15. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  16. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  17. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  18. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  19. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  20. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  21. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  22. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  23. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  24. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.

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

Answer key

  1. root — of a word
  2. rash — hasty
  3. rule — government
  4. court — for sport
  5. court — of a king
  6. prune — to trim
  7. board — a committee
  8. root — of a plant
  9. safe — out of danger
  10. rash — on the skin
  11. prune — to trim
  12. board — a flat piece
  13. rule — to rule out
  14. court — of law
  15. rule — a law
  16. safe — a strongbox
  17. root — the cause
  18. rash — a series
  19. prune — the fruit
  20. safe — out of danger
  21. bank — for money
  22. bank — of a river
  23. board — to get on
  24. bank — for money

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