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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 120 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: root · swing · mouse · calf · court · march · wax · rule

  1. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  2. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  3. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  4. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  5. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  6. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  7. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  8. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  9. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  10. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  11. The ball is in your ________________.
  12. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  13. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  14. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  15. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  16. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  17. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  18. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  19. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  20. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  21. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  22. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  23. David sat on the ________________.
  24. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.

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

Answer key

  1. rule — government
  2. rule — a law
  3. march — music
  4. calf — of the leg
  5. mouse — the animal
  6. court — of a king
  7. rule — to rule out
  8. wax — for sculpting
  9. calf — a young animal
  10. mouse — for a computer
  11. court — for sport
  12. wax — to grow
  13. wax — in the ear
  14. swing — in golf
  15. march — the month
  16. mouse — the animal
  17. root — of a plant
  18. swing — music
  19. march — the month
  20. root — the cause
  21. court — of law
  22. calf — a young animal
  23. swing — to play on
  24. root — of a word

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