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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 120 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: bulb · spring · bound · court · field · cue · lie · bark

  1. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  2. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  3. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  4. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  5. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  6. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  7. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  8. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  9. The ball is in your ________________.
  10. The light ________________ burned out.
  11. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  12. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  13. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  14. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  15. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  16. That was ________________ to happen.
  17. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  18. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  19. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  20. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  21. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  22. I've got to change the light ________________.
  23. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  24. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. court — of a king
  2. lie — an untruth
  3. court — of law
  4. cue — a hint
  5. spring — of water
  6. field — a subject
  7. spring — a coil
  8. cue — for pool
  9. court — for sport
  10. bulb — for light
  11. spring — the season
  12. bound — obliged
  13. bark — to shout
  14. bark — of a tree
  15. bulb — of a plant
  16. bound — certain
  17. lie — an untruth
  18. field — for sport
  19. bound — tied together
  20. cue — a signal
  21. bark — a dog's sound
  22. bulb — for light
  23. lie — to recline
  24. field — farmland

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