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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: court · drill · bulb · bank · lash · degree · coach · cue

  1. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  2. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  3. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  4. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  5. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  6. Have you met the new head ________________?
  7. The light ________________ burned out.
  8. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  9. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  10. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  11. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  12. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  13. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  14. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  15. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  16. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  17. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  18. I've got to change the light ________________.
  19. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  20. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  21. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  22. The ball is in your ________________.
  23. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  24. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.

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

Answer key

  1. bank — for money
  2. degree — from a university
  3. cue — a signal
  4. cue — a hint
  5. lash — to lash out
  6. coach — a trainer
  7. bulb — for light
  8. degree — an amount
  9. coach — a trainer
  10. cue — for pool
  11. court — of law
  12. coach — pulled by horses
  13. bulb — of a plant
  14. drill — a practice
  15. lash — an eyelash
  16. court — of a king
  17. lash — a whip stroke
  18. bulb — for light
  19. bank — for money
  20. drill — the tool
  21. bank — of a river
  22. court — for sport
  23. degree — temperature
  24. drill — army training

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