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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 116 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: fork · drill · mate · bark · spring · squash · court · cue

  1. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  2. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  3. The ball is in your ________________.
  4. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  5. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  6. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  7. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  8. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  9. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  10. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  11. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  12. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  13. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  14. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  15. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  16. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  17. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  18. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  19. Have you found your soul ________________?
  20. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  21. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  22. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  23. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  24. I'll take my ________________ from you.

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

Answer key

  1. spring — a coil
  2. mate — to breed
  3. court — for sport
  4. cue — for pool
  5. bark — a dog's sound
  6. cue — a signal
  7. bark — to shout
  8. fork — a garden tool
  9. fork — in a road
  10. spring — the season
  11. spring — of water
  12. drill — the tool
  13. mate — a friend
  14. drill — a practice
  15. squash — the vegetable
  16. drill — army training
  17. court — of a king
  18. court — of law
  19. mate — a partner
  20. squash — the sport
  21. squash — to crush
  22. fork — to eat with
  23. bark — of a tree
  24. cue — a hint

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