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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 120 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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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: net · dip · firm · stem · cue · court · bear · spring

  1. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  2. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  3. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  4. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  5. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  6. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  7. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  8. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  9. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  10. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  11. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  12. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  13. The ball is in your ________________.
  14. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  15. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  16. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  17. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  18. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  19. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  20. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  21. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  22. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  23. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  24. He took the fish out of the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. stem — of a plant
  2. firm — steady
  3. stem — to come from
  4. cue — a signal
  5. dip — to dunk
  6. bear — the animal
  7. spring — the season
  8. stem — a stem cell
  9. spring — a coil
  10. net — after costs
  11. firm — decided
  12. bear — to put up with
  13. court — for sport
  14. firm — a company
  15. net — in sport
  16. dip — a sauce
  17. cue — a hint
  18. spring — of water
  19. court — of law
  20. dip — to sink
  21. court — of a king
  22. bear — the animal
  23. cue — for pool
  24. net — for catching

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