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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 in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  2. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  3. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  4. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  5. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  6. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  7. The ball is in your ________________.
  8. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  9. We're on a ________________ here.
  10. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  11. I'll be taking the ________________.
  12. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  13. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  14. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  15. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  16. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  17. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  18. Have you found your soul ________________?
  19. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  20. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  21. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  22. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  23. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  24. The flowers bloom in the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. court — of law
  2. band — a music group
  3. bear — the animal
  4. tube — in a tire
  5. bear — to put up with
  6. roll — a list
  7. court — for sport
  8. calf — of the leg
  9. roll — on a roll
  10. mate — a friend
  11. tube — the underground
  12. mate — to breed
  13. calf — a young animal
  14. roll — a cake
  15. tube — a container
  16. spring — of water
  17. spring — a coil
  18. mate — a partner
  19. bear — the animal
  20. calf — a young animal
  21. band — a rubber band
  22. band — a ring
  23. court — of a king
  24. spring — the season

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