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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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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: stem · wave · spring · mine · mark · cue · court · race

  1. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  2. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  3. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  4. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  5. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  6. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  7. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  8. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  9. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  10. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  11. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  12. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  13. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  14. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  15. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  16. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  17. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  18. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  19. The ball is in your ________________.
  20. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  21. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  22. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  23. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  24. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.

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

Answer key

  1. court — of a king
  2. mine — for digging
  3. mark — a grade
  4. cue — a hint
  5. court — of law
  6. race — a contest
  7. stem — of a plant
  8. race — the arms race
  9. mark — to pay attention
  10. stem — a stem cell
  11. mine — an explosive
  12. wave — of the sea
  13. mine — belonging to me
  14. cue — a signal
  15. stem — to come from
  16. mark — a trace
  17. race — humankind
  18. spring — the season
  19. court — for sport
  20. wave — with your hand
  21. wave — a sudden rise
  22. spring — a coil
  23. spring — of water
  24. cue — for pool

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