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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: lean · current · ball · march · coach · tube · root · court

  1. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  2. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  3. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  4. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  5. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  6. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  7. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  8. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  9. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  10. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  11. The King held a masked ________________.
  12. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  13. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  14. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  15. I'll be taking the ________________.
  16. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  17. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  18. The ball is in your ________________.
  19. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  20. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  21. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  22. Have you met the new head ________________?
  23. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  24. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.

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

Answer key

  1. tube — a container
  2. court — of a king
  3. current — happening now
  4. march — music
  5. coach — a trainer
  6. current — electric
  7. court — of law
  8. current — of water
  9. ball — a round shape
  10. root — of a word
  11. ball — a dance
  12. lean — to rest against
  13. lean — to bend
  14. lean — thin
  15. tube — the underground
  16. ball — a great time
  17. march — the month
  18. court — for sport
  19. coach — pulled by horses
  20. root — of a plant
  21. tube — in a tire
  22. coach — a trainer
  23. march — the month
  24. root — the cause

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