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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: wake · bear · bass · mark · racket · court · stem · cue

  1. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  2. The ball is in your ________________.
  3. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  4. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  5. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  6. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  7. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  8. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  9. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  10. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  11. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  12. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  13. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  14. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  15. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  16. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  17. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  18. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  19. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  20. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  21. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  22. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  23. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  24. Many English words ________________ from Latin.

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

Answer key

  1. court — of law
  2. court — for sport
  3. mark — a grade
  4. racket — a loud noise
  5. cue — a hint
  6. wake — to stop sleeping
  7. mark — to pay attention
  8. bass — low music
  9. racket — for tennis
  10. wake — before a funeral
  11. bass — the instrument
  12. cue — for pool
  13. court — of a king
  14. bear — to put up with
  15. bear — the animal
  16. cue — a signal
  17. racket — for tennis
  18. wake — a trail
  19. stem — of a plant
  20. bass — the fish
  21. mark — a trace
  22. bear — the animal
  23. stem — a stem cell
  24. stem — to come from

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