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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: court · rule · perch · track · face · mouse · stem · root

  1. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  2. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  3. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  4. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  5. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  6. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  7. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  8. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  9. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  10. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  11. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  12. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  13. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  14. The ball is in your ________________.
  15. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  16. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  17. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  18. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  19. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  20. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  21. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  22. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  23. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  24. Many English words ________________ from Latin.

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

Answer key

  1. rule — a law
  2. face — to confront
  3. court — of law
  4. track — a song
  5. rule — government
  6. face — to point toward
  7. mouse — the animal
  8. track — a path
  9. perch — for a bird
  10. stem — a stem cell
  11. court — of a king
  12. root — of a word
  13. mouse — for a computer
  14. court — for sport
  15. mouse — the animal
  16. track — to keep track
  17. rule — to rule out
  18. root — of a plant
  19. perch — the fish
  20. face — part of the head
  21. perch — for a bird
  22. root — the cause
  23. stem — of a plant
  24. stem — to come from

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