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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.

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: court · spring · bear · safe · board · foot · tube · wound

  1. I'll be taking the ________________.
  2. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  3. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  4. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  5. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  6. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  7. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  8. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  9. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  10. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  11. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  12. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  13. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  14. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  15. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  16. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  17. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  18. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  19. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  20. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  21. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  22. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  23. The ball is in your ________________.
  24. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.

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

Answer key

  1. tube — the underground
  2. foot — the bottom
  3. foot — a measure
  4. safe — out of danger
  5. board — to get on
  6. safe — a strongbox
  7. bear — the animal
  8. safe — out of danger
  9. board — a committee
  10. wound — an injury
  11. court — of a king
  12. tube — in a tire
  13. spring — of water
  14. board — a flat piece
  15. bear — the animal
  16. bear — to put up with
  17. wound — an injury
  18. court — of law
  19. foot — part of the body
  20. wound — past of 'wind'
  21. tube — a container
  22. spring — the season
  23. court — for sport
  24. spring — a coil

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