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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: board · perch · wake · court · bulb · row · wave · root

  1. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  2. I've got to change the light ________________.
  3. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  4. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  5. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  6. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  7. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  8. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  9. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  10. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  11. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  12. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  13. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  14. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  15. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  16. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  17. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  18. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  19. The light ________________ burned out.
  20. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  21. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  22. The ball is in your ________________.
  23. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  24. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.

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

Answer key

  1. court — of a king
  2. bulb — for light
  3. perch — the fish
  4. root — the cause
  5. row — a quarrel
  6. wave — a sudden rise
  7. bulb — of a plant
  8. perch — for a bird
  9. board — to get on
  10. perch — for a bird
  11. row — to paddle
  12. board — a flat piece
  13. wave — of the sea
  14. root — of a plant
  15. board — a committee
  16. root — of a word
  17. wake — to stop sleeping
  18. wake — a trail
  19. bulb — for light
  20. wake — before a funeral
  21. row — a line
  22. court — for sport
  23. wave — with your hand
  24. court — of law

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