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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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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: tube · straw · press · court · fan · cue · spring · saw

  1. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  2. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  3. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  4. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  5. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  6. Did you ________________ the button?
  7. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  8. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  9. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  10. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  11. He works in a ________________ mill.
  12. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  13. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  14. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  15. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  16. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  17. She's very handy with a ________________.
  18. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  19. I'll be taking the ________________.
  20. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  21. The ball is in your ________________.
  22. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  23. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  24. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.

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

Answer key

  1. cue — a signal
  2. court — of law
  3. fan — a supporter
  4. press — newspapers
  5. spring — the season
  6. press — to push
  7. fan — a supporter
  8. straw — dry grass
  9. press — a publisher
  10. tube — a container
  11. saw — the tool
  12. spring — of water
  13. straw — to clutch at straws
  14. fan — to cool the air
  15. cue — for pool
  16. tube — in a tire
  17. saw — the tool
  18. spring — a coil
  19. tube — the underground
  20. cue — a hint
  21. court — for sport
  22. saw — past of 'see'
  23. court — of a king
  24. straw — a straw man

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