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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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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: rule · court · root · lash · spring · cell · ruler · date

  1. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  2. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  3. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  4. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  5. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  6. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  7. Have you settled on a ________________?
  8. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  9. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  10. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  11. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  12. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  13. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  14. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  15. The ball is in your ________________.
  16. He was locked up in a ________________.
  17. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  18. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  19. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  20. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  21. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  22. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  23. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  24. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.

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

Answer key

  1. rule — to rule out
  2. root — of a word
  3. lash — an eyelash
  4. date — on the calendar
  5. ruler — for measuring
  6. rule — a law
  7. date — on the calendar
  8. lash — a whip stroke
  9. court — of a king
  10. cell — a phone
  11. ruler — for measuring
  12. spring — of water
  13. cell — in biology
  14. spring — a coil
  15. court — for sport
  16. cell — in a prison
  17. rule — government
  18. spring — the season
  19. court — of law
  20. root — the cause
  21. lash — to lash out
  22. ruler — a monarch
  23. root — of a plant
  24. date — the fruit

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