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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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 · mate · field · court · stick · rock · content · shower

  1. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  2. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  3. Have you found your soul ________________?
  4. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  5. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  6. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  7. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  8. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  9. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  10. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  11. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  12. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  13. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  14. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  15. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  16. The ball is in your ________________.
  17. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  18. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  19. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  20. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  21. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  22. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  23. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  24. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.

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

Answer key

  1. stick — a piece of wood
  2. stick — to attach or keep to
  3. mate — a partner
  4. spring — the season
  5. rock — to move gently
  6. shower — a meteor shower
  7. rock — music
  8. spring — a coil
  9. content — the amount
  10. field — for sport
  11. shower — rain
  12. content — happy
  13. mate — to breed
  14. shower — to wash
  15. stick — a piece of wood
  16. court — for sport
  17. mate — a friend
  18. rock — a stone
  19. court — of law
  20. field — farmland
  21. court — of a king
  22. content — videos and posts
  23. spring — of water
  24. field — a subject

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