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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: toast · court · mine · wave · spring · cue · arm · root

  1. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  2. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  3. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  4. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  5. My father caught me by the ________________.
  6. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  7. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  8. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  9. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  10. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  11. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  12. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  13. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  14. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  15. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  16. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  17. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  18. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  19. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  20. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  21. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  22. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  23. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  24. The ball is in your ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. court — of a king
  2. spring — the season
  3. spring — a coil
  4. cue — for pool
  5. arm — part of the body
  6. mine — an explosive
  7. arm — a part of something
  8. wave — of the sea
  9. mine — for digging
  10. cue — a signal
  11. toast — the most admired
  12. arm — part of the body
  13. cue — a hint
  14. root — of a plant
  15. toast — bread
  16. court — of law
  17. toast — a drink to someone
  18. spring — of water
  19. root — the cause
  20. wave — a sudden rise
  21. wave — with your hand
  22. mine — belonging to me
  23. root — of a word
  24. court — for sport

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