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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
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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: key · leaves · hand · court · season · field · spring · bulb

  1. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  2. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  3. This piece is in a major ________________.
  4. I've got to change the light ________________.
  5. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  6. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  7. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  8. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  9. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  10. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  11. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  12. The light ________________ burned out.
  13. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  14. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  15. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  16. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  17. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  18. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  19. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  20. Did you ________________ the meat?
  21. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  22. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  23. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  24. The ball is in your ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. key — the most important part
  2. field — farmland
  3. key — in music
  4. bulb — for light
  5. key — for a lock
  6. leaves — lets stay
  7. field — a subject
  8. court — of a king
  9. field — for sport
  10. leaves — of a tree
  11. bulb — of a plant
  12. bulb — for light
  13. leaves — to go away
  14. spring — the season
  15. court — of law
  16. spring — a coil
  17. season — in sport
  18. hand — in cards
  19. hand — help
  20. season — to add flavour
  21. season — of the year
  22. hand — part of the body
  23. spring — of water
  24. court — for sport

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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