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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: bark · spring · jam · rule · court · band · suit · bulb

  1. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  2. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  3. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  4. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  5. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  6. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  7. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  8. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  9. When will it ________________ you to start?
  10. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  11. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  12. The light ________________ burned out.
  13. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  14. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  15. I've got to change the light ________________.
  16. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  17. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  18. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  19. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  20. The ball is in your ________________.
  21. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  22. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  23. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  24. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. jam — a tight spot
  2. suit — clothes
  3. bulb — of a plant
  4. spring — a coil
  5. bark — of a tree
  6. court — of a king
  7. band — a rubber band
  8. bark — a dog's sound
  9. suit — to fit
  10. rule — government
  11. court — of law
  12. bulb — for light
  13. suit — in cards
  14. jam — in traffic
  15. bulb — for light
  16. bark — to shout
  17. band — a music group
  18. jam — to spread on bread
  19. rule — a law
  20. court — for sport
  21. rule — to rule out
  22. spring — of water
  23. spring — the season
  24. band — a ring

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