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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.

Make a worksheet

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: court · key · swing · patient · spring · mug · lash · stem

  1. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  2. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  3. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  4. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  5. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  6. David sat on the ________________.
  7. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  8. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  9. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  10. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  11. Where did you ________________ them?
  12. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  13. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  14. This piece is in a major ________________.
  15. The ball is in your ________________.
  16. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  17. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  18. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  19. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  20. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  21. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  22. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  23. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  24. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.

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

Answer key

  1. court — of a king
  2. spring — a coil
  3. key — the most important part
  4. patient — a sick person
  5. swing — in golf
  6. swing — to play on
  7. lash — a whip stroke
  8. key — for a lock
  9. court — of law
  10. lash — an eyelash
  11. mug — to rob
  12. mug — a cup
  13. stem — to come from
  14. key — in music
  15. court — for sport
  16. stem — of a plant
  17. lash — to lash out
  18. swing — music
  19. patient — a sick person
  20. mug — a face
  21. spring — of water
  22. spring — the season
  23. patient — calm and waiting
  24. stem — a stem cell

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