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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: wax · court · rash · march · board · current · rule · arm

  1. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  2. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  3. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  4. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  5. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  6. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  7. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  8. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  9. My father caught me by the ________________.
  10. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  11. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  12. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  13. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  14. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  15. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  16. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  17. Don't do anything ________________.
  18. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  19. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  20. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  21. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  22. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  23. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  24. The ball is in your ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. current — of water
  2. rash — a series
  3. arm — part of the body
  4. court — of law
  5. march — the month
  6. arm — a part of something
  7. current — happening now
  8. board — a committee
  9. arm — part of the body
  10. march — the month
  11. rule — to rule out
  12. current — electric
  13. rash — on the skin
  14. wax — to grow
  15. rule — government
  16. march — music
  17. rash — hasty
  18. board — to get on
  19. court — of a king
  20. rule — a law
  21. wax — in the ear
  22. wax — for sculpting
  23. board — a flat piece
  24. court — for sport

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