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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: band · roll · court · cabinet · toast · chest · spring · shower

  1. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  2. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  3. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  4. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  5. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  6. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  7. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  8. The ball is in your ________________.
  9. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  10. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  11. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  12. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  13. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  14. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  15. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  16. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  17. We're on a ________________ here.
  18. What do you think of the new ________________?
  19. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  20. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  21. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  22. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  23. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  24. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.

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

Answer key

  1. spring — of water
  2. chest — a box
  3. shower — a meteor shower
  4. court — of law
  5. cabinet — ministers
  6. shower — to wash
  7. shower — rain
  8. court — for sport
  9. spring — a coil
  10. cabinet — a cupboard
  11. band — a rubber band
  12. roll — a list
  13. spring — the season
  14. toast — the most admired
  15. court — of a king
  16. band — a music group
  17. roll — on a roll
  18. cabinet — ministers
  19. band — a ring
  20. roll — a cake
  21. chest — of your body
  22. toast — a drink to someone
  23. chest — of your body
  24. toast — bread

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