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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: rule · swing · fine · stem · cap · leaves · tube · court

  1. I'll be taking the ________________.
  2. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  3. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  4. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  5. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  6. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  7. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  8. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  9. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  10. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  11. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  12. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  13. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  14. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  15. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  16. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  17. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  18. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  19. The ball is in your ________________.
  20. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  21. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  22. David sat on the ________________.
  23. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  24. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.

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

Answer key

  1. tube — the underground
  2. tube — in a tire
  3. stem — a stem cell
  4. fine — all right
  5. leaves — lets stay
  6. court — of law
  7. court — of a king
  8. tube — a container
  9. cap — a lid
  10. fine — high quality
  11. swing — in golf
  12. rule — a law
  13. rule — to rule out
  14. cap — of ice
  15. stem — of a plant
  16. stem — to come from
  17. cap — a hat
  18. fine — a penalty
  19. court — for sport
  20. rule — government
  21. leaves — of a tree
  22. swing — to play on
  23. leaves — to go away
  24. swing — music

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