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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
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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: object · cabinet · leaves · spring · court · field · tube · bulb

  1. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  2. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  3. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  4. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  5. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  6. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  7. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  8. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  9. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  10. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  11. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  12. The ball is in your ________________.
  13. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  14. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  15. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  16. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  17. The light ________________ burned out.
  18. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  19. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  20. I've got to change the light ________________.
  21. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  22. I'll be taking the ________________.
  23. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  24. What do you think of the new ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. tube — in a tire
  2. field — farmland
  3. spring — the season
  4. court — of a king
  5. cabinet — a cupboard
  6. object — to protest
  7. leaves — of a tree
  8. object — an aim
  9. tube — a container
  10. leaves — lets stay
  11. court — of law
  12. court — for sport
  13. spring — of water
  14. field — a subject
  15. leaves — to go away
  16. object — a thing
  17. bulb — for light
  18. bulb — of a plant
  19. cabinet — ministers
  20. bulb — for light
  21. spring — a coil
  22. tube — the underground
  23. field — for sport
  24. cabinet — ministers

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