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

Word bank: court · firm · wound · saw · band · suit · stem · bulb

  1. He works in a ________________ mill.
  2. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  3. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  4. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  5. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  6. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  7. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  8. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  9. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  10. She's very handy with a ________________.
  11. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  12. When will it ________________ you to start?
  13. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  14. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  15. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  16. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  17. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  18. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  19. The ball is in your ________________.
  20. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  21. I've got to change the light ________________.
  22. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  23. The light ________________ burned out.
  24. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.

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

Answer key

  1. saw — the tool
  2. band — a music group
  3. bulb — of a plant
  4. stem — to come from
  5. court — of a king
  6. firm — a company
  7. firm — steady
  8. band — a rubber band
  9. wound — an injury
  10. saw — the tool
  11. suit — in cards
  12. suit — to fit
  13. suit — clothes
  14. saw — past of 'see'
  15. court — of law
  16. stem — a stem cell
  17. wound — past of 'wind'
  18. wound — an injury
  19. court — for sport
  20. band — a ring
  21. bulb — for light
  22. stem — of a plant
  23. bulb — for light
  24. firm — decided

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