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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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468
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: stand · spring · court · wound · safe · mate · swing · cue

  1. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  2. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  3. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  4. David sat on the ________________.
  5. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  6. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  7. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  8. Have you found your soul ________________?
  9. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  10. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  11. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  12. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  13. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  14. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  15. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  16. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  17. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  18. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  19. I can't ________________ this cold.
  20. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  21. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  22. The ball is in your ________________.
  23. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  24. This looks like a gunshot ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. spring — a coil
  2. spring — the season
  3. mate — to breed
  4. swing — to play on
  5. spring — of water
  6. court — of law
  7. safe — out of danger
  8. mate — a partner
  9. wound — past of 'wind'
  10. swing — in golf
  11. swing — music
  12. stand — for spectators
  13. safe — a strongbox
  14. cue — a signal
  15. cue — for pool
  16. mate — a friend
  17. cue — a hint
  18. wound — an injury
  19. stand — to bear
  20. court — of a king
  21. stand — on your feet
  22. court — for sport
  23. safe — out of danger
  24. wound — an injury

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