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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: court · spring · mine · firm · fall · tube · fan · suit

  1. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  2. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  3. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  4. I'll be taking the ________________.
  5. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  6. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  7. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  8. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  9. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  10. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  11. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  12. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  13. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  14. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  15. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  16. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  17. When will it ________________ you to start?
  18. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  19. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  20. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  21. The ball is in your ________________.
  22. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  23. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  24. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. court — of law
  2. fan — a supporter
  3. court — of a king
  4. tube — the underground
  5. mine — an explosive
  6. firm — decided
  7. suit — clothes
  8. fan — a supporter
  9. fall — to drop
  10. tube — a container
  11. fan — to cool the air
  12. fall — the season
  13. mine — for digging
  14. suit — in cards
  15. firm — steady
  16. mine — belonging to me
  17. suit — to fit
  18. spring — a coil
  19. firm — a company
  20. spring — the season
  21. court — for sport
  22. fall — to drop
  23. tube — in a tire
  24. spring — of water

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