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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: current · fall · wake · firm · spring · tube · court · sharp

  1. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  2. The ball is in your ________________.
  3. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  4. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  5. It's one o'clock ________________.
  6. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  7. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  8. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  9. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  10. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  11. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  12. I'll be taking the ________________.
  13. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  14. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  15. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  16. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  17. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  18. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  19. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  20. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  21. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  22. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  23. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  24. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.

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

Answer key

  1. court — of a king
  2. court — for sport
  3. firm — a company
  4. sharp — with an edge
  5. sharp — exactly
  6. firm — decided
  7. spring — of water
  8. tube — a container
  9. fall — the season
  10. wake — a trail
  11. current — of water
  12. tube — the underground
  13. wake — to stop sleeping
  14. court — of law
  15. sharp — clever
  16. fall — to drop
  17. current — happening now
  18. fall — to drop
  19. tube — in a tire
  20. firm — steady
  21. spring — the season
  22. current — electric
  23. spring — a coil
  24. wake — before a funeral

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