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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 · root · board · wave · row · wake · mark · cap

  1. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  2. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  3. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  4. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  5. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  6. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  7. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  8. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  9. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  10. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  11. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  12. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  13. The ball is in your ________________.
  14. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  15. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  16. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  17. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  18. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  19. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  20. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  21. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  22. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  23. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  24. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.

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

Answer key

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

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