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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 flowers bloom in the ________________.
  2. We're on a ________________ here.
  3. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  4. I'll be taking the ________________.
  5. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  6. Have you settled on a ________________?
  7. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  8. The ball is in your ________________.
  9. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  10. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  11. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  12. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  13. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  14. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  15. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  16. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  17. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  18. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  19. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  20. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  21. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  22. The ________________ went through the wall.
  23. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  24. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.

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

Answer key

  1. spring — the season
  2. roll — on a roll
  3. cue — a hint
  4. tube — the underground
  5. nail — on a finger
  6. date — on the calendar
  7. date — on the calendar
  8. court — for sport
  9. date — the fruit
  10. bank — of a river
  11. roll — a cake
  12. cue — for pool
  13. spring — of water
  14. bank — for money
  15. roll — a list
  16. bank — for money
  17. tube — a container
  18. spring — a coil
  19. cue — a signal
  20. court — of a king
  21. court — of law
  22. nail — for a hammer
  23. nail — for a hammer
  24. tube — in a tire

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