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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: fine · stem · bark · bowl · spring · bass · firm · court

  1. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  2. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  3. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  4. The ball is in your ________________.
  5. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  6. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  7. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  8. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  9. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  10. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  11. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  12. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  13. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  14. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  15. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  16. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  17. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  18. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  19. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  20. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  21. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  22. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  23. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  24. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. fine — high quality
  2. bowl — a dish
  3. fine — a penalty
  4. court — for sport
  5. firm — a company
  6. firm — decided
  7. court — of a king
  8. bass — the fish
  9. bowl — a football final
  10. firm — steady
  11. bark — to shout
  12. bass — low music
  13. fine — all right
  14. bowl — to roll
  15. stem — to come from
  16. spring — the season
  17. spring — a coil
  18. bass — the instrument
  19. stem — of a plant
  20. court — of law
  21. bark — a dog's sound
  22. stem — a stem cell
  23. spring — of water
  24. bark — of a tree

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