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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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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 · foot · court · spring · wind · cue · cell · bay

  1. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  2. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  3. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  4. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  5. He was locked up in a ________________.
  6. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  7. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  8. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  9. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  10. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  11. The light ________________ burned out.
  12. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  13. My mare is ________________ in color.
  14. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  15. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  16. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  17. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  18. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  19. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  20. I've got to change the light ________________.
  21. The ball is in your ________________.
  22. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  23. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  24. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.

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

Answer key

  1. foot — a measure
  2. court — of law
  3. bay — a part of the sea
  4. wind — moving air
  5. cell — in a prison
  6. spring — of water
  7. cue — for pool
  8. foot — the bottom
  9. bulb — of a plant
  10. cell — a phone
  11. bulb — for light
  12. foot — part of the body
  13. bay — a horse colour
  14. cue — a signal
  15. spring — a coil
  16. spring — the season
  17. wind — moving air
  18. cell — in biology
  19. cue — a hint
  20. bulb — for light
  21. court — for sport
  22. court — of a king
  23. bay — to keep at bay
  24. wind — to turn a key

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