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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: spring · foot · squash · sharp · stem · court · cap · bear

  1. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  2. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  3. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  4. The ball is in your ________________.
  5. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  6. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  7. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  8. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  9. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  10. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  11. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  12. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  13. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  14. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  15. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  16. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  17. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  18. It's one o'clock ________________.
  19. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  20. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  21. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  22. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  23. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  24. The flowers bloom in the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. cap — of ice
  2. stem — to come from
  3. sharp — with an edge
  4. court — for sport
  5. foot — the bottom
  6. squash — to crush
  7. court — of a king
  8. stem — a stem cell
  9. foot — a measure
  10. foot — part of the body
  11. bear — the animal
  12. spring — of water
  13. bear — the animal
  14. squash — the vegetable
  15. stem — of a plant
  16. spring — a coil
  17. sharp — clever
  18. sharp — exactly
  19. squash — the sport
  20. bear — to put up with
  21. cap — a hat
  22. cap — a lid
  23. court — of law
  24. spring — the season

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