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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: field · tube · swing · pass · club · court · bank · craft

  1. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  2. I'll be taking the ________________.
  3. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  4. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  5. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  6. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  7. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  8. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  9. The ball is in your ________________.
  10. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  11. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  12. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  13. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  14. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  15. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  16. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  17. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  18. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  19. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  20. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  21. David sat on the ________________.
  22. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  23. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  24. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.

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

Answer key

  1. court — of a king
  2. tube — the underground
  3. swing — music
  4. pass — to spend time
  5. club — for golf
  6. bank — for money
  7. craft — a skill
  8. bank — of a river
  9. court — for sport
  10. pass — a permit
  11. club — for dancing
  12. field — for sport
  13. craft — a handicraft
  14. field — farmland
  15. tube — in a tire
  16. swing — in golf
  17. craft — boats
  18. court — of law
  19. bank — for money
  20. tube — a container
  21. swing — to play on
  22. field — a subject
  23. pass — to succeed
  24. club — a group

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