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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: tube · current · spring · cue · court · perch · cabinet · field

  1. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  2. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  3. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  4. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  5. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  6. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  7. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  8. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  9. I'll be taking the ________________.
  10. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  11. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  12. The ball is in your ________________.
  13. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  14. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  15. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  16. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  17. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  18. What do you think of the new ________________?
  19. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  20. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  21. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  22. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  23. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  24. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. cue — a hint
  2. perch — the fish
  3. spring — of water
  4. field — farmland
  5. current — happening now
  6. tube — a container
  7. field — a subject
  8. perch — for a bird
  9. tube — the underground
  10. cabinet — a cupboard
  11. spring — the season
  12. court — for sport
  13. court — of law
  14. tube — in a tire
  15. cabinet — ministers
  16. current — of water
  17. court — of a king
  18. cabinet — ministers
  19. current — electric
  20. cue — for pool
  21. cue — a signal
  22. spring — a coil
  23. field — for sport
  24. perch — for a bird

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