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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 · mug · band · row · lean · foot · rule · root

  1. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  2. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  3. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  4. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  5. Where did you ________________ them?
  6. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  7. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  8. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  9. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  10. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  11. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  12. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  13. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  14. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  15. The ball is in your ________________.
  16. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  17. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  18. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  19. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  20. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  21. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  22. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  23. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  24. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.

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

Answer key

  1. rule — government
  2. lean — to bend
  3. rule — a law
  4. row — a quarrel
  5. mug — to rob
  6. root — of a plant
  7. mug — a cup
  8. foot — part of the body
  9. mug — a face
  10. band — a ring
  11. rule — to rule out
  12. foot — a measure
  13. band — a rubber band
  14. root — of a word
  15. court — for sport
  16. root — the cause
  17. lean — to rest against
  18. row — to paddle
  19. court — of law
  20. lean — thin
  21. row — a line
  22. band — a music group
  23. court — of a king
  24. foot — the bottom

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