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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.

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: cold · bark · court · spring · bass · stand · club · mate

  1. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  2. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  3. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  4. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  5. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  6. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  7. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  8. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  9. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  10. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  11. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  12. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  13. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  14. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  15. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  16. Have you found your soul ________________?
  17. I can't ________________ this cold.
  18. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  19. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  20. The water is too ________________.
  21. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  22. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  23. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  24. The ball is in your ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. mate — to breed
  2. court — of a king
  3. club — for dancing
  4. bark — of a tree
  5. spring — of water
  6. court — of law
  7. stand — on your feet
  8. cold — an illness
  9. bark — to shout
  10. club — a group
  11. bass — the instrument
  12. mate — a friend
  13. bass — low music
  14. club — for golf
  15. cold — the Cold War
  16. mate — a partner
  17. stand — to bear
  18. stand — for spectators
  19. bass — the fish
  20. cold — not warm
  21. bark — a dog's sound
  22. spring — a coil
  23. spring — the season
  24. court — for sport

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