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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: spring · root · jam · club · cap · wound · court · dip

  1. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  2. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  3. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  4. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  5. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  6. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  7. The ball is in your ________________.
  8. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  9. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  10. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  11. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  12. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  13. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  14. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  15. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  16. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  17. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  18. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  19. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  20. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  21. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  22. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  23. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  24. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.

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

Answer key

  1. court — of a king
  2. jam — a tight spot
  3. wound — past of 'wind'
  4. root — the cause
  5. cap — a lid
  6. spring — a coil
  7. court — for sport
  8. court — of law
  9. cap — a hat
  10. spring — of water
  11. wound — an injury
  12. root — of a plant
  13. wound — an injury
  14. jam — to spread on bread
  15. dip — to sink
  16. club — for dancing
  17. dip — a sauce
  18. club — for golf
  19. club — a group
  20. jam — in traffic
  21. spring — the season
  22. root — of a word
  23. cap — of ice
  24. dip — to dunk

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