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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 · tube · last · court · spell · rush · mark · can

  1. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  2. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  3. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  4. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  5. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  6. False peace will not ________________.
  7. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  8. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  9. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  10. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  11. I'll be taking the ________________.
  12. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  13. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  14. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  15. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  16. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  17. The ball is in your ________________.
  18. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  19. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  20. How do you ________________ your surname?
  21. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  22. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  23. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  24. That must've been a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. mark — to pay attention
  2. court — of law
  3. spell — a short time
  4. last — final
  5. mark — a grade
  6. last — to go on
  7. last — finally
  8. can — a tin
  9. rush — to hurry
  10. spell — magic
  11. tube — the underground
  12. tube — a container
  13. can — to be able to
  14. rush — hurry
  15. can — a tin
  16. tube — in a tire
  17. court — for sport
  18. mark — a trace
  19. court — of a king
  20. spell — letters
  21. spring — of water
  22. spring — a coil
  23. spring — the season
  24. rush — a thrill

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