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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: chair · spring · bowl · spell · court · leaves · shower · calf

  1. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  2. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  3. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  4. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  5. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  6. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  7. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  8. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  9. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  10. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  11. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  12. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  13. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  14. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  15. The ball is in your ________________.
  16. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  17. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  18. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  19. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  20. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  21. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  22. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  23. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  24. How do you ________________ your surname?

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

Answer key

  1. spring — the season
  2. chair — to sit on
  3. bowl — a football final
  4. bowl — a dish
  5. calf — a young animal
  6. court — of law
  7. shower — rain
  8. shower — a meteor shower
  9. spring — a coil
  10. chair — a leader
  11. chair — a professorship
  12. calf — of the leg
  13. shower — to wash
  14. leaves — of a tree
  15. court — for sport
  16. calf — a young animal
  17. bowl — to roll
  18. leaves — to go away
  19. spell — a short time
  20. leaves — lets stay
  21. spring — of water
  22. spell — magic
  23. court — of a king
  24. spell — letters

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