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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: plane · tube · rash · firm · bore · court · content · spring

  1. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  2. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  3. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  4. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  5. Don't do anything ________________.
  6. I'll be taking the ________________.
  7. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  8. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  9. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  10. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  11. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  12. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  13. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  14. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  15. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  16. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  17. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  18. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  19. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  20. The ________________ took off on time.
  21. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  22. The ball is in your ________________.
  23. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  24. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.

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

Answer key

  1. court — of law
  2. content — the amount
  3. plane — in geometry
  4. firm — a company
  5. rash — hasty
  6. tube — the underground
  7. spring — a coil
  8. rash — on the skin
  9. content — videos and posts
  10. firm — steady
  11. bore — to drill
  12. plane — a tool
  13. rash — a series
  14. tube — in a tire
  15. spring — of water
  16. bore — gave birth
  17. firm — decided
  18. content — happy
  19. tube — a container
  20. plane — an aircraft
  21. bore — to tire
  22. court — for sport
  23. spring — the season
  24. court — of a king

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