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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.

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: staff · cell · bear · court · mouse · foot · tube · spring

  1. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  2. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  3. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  4. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  5. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  6. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  7. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  8. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  9. The ball is in your ________________.
  10. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  11. He was locked up in a ________________.
  12. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  13. I'll be taking the ________________.
  14. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  15. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  16. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  17. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  18. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  19. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  20. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  21. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  22. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  23. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  24. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!

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

Answer key

  1. mouse — the animal
  2. spring — the season
  3. bear — the animal
  4. staff — employees
  5. foot — part of the body
  6. cell — a phone
  7. court — of law
  8. cell — in biology
  9. court — for sport
  10. spring — a coil
  11. cell — in a prison
  12. foot — a measure
  13. tube — the underground
  14. staff — a stick
  15. spring — of water
  16. tube — in a tire
  17. mouse — for a computer
  18. mouse — the animal
  19. foot — the bottom
  20. staff — employees
  21. bear — the animal
  22. tube — a container
  23. court — of a king
  24. bear — to put up with

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