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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 116 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.

Words on the sheet
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: current · spring · coach · racket · field · court · land · bear

  1. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  2. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  3. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  4. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  5. The ball is in your ________________.
  6. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  7. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  8. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  9. When are we going to ________________?
  10. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  11. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  12. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  13. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  14. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  15. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  16. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  17. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  18. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  19. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  20. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  21. Have you met the new head ________________?
  22. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  23. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  24. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. spring — the season
  2. coach — pulled by horses
  3. spring — of water
  4. current — of water
  5. court — for sport
  6. racket — a loud noise
  7. bear — the animal
  8. current — electric
  9. land — to come down
  10. current — happening now
  11. coach — a trainer
  12. field — for sport
  13. bear — the animal
  14. racket — for tennis
  15. court — of a king
  16. spring — a coil
  17. field — farmland
  18. land — a country
  19. racket — for tennis
  20. court — of law
  21. coach — a trainer
  22. bear — to put up with
  23. field — a subject
  24. land — ground

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