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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 120 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.

Make a worksheet

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: can · hand · court · fan · coach · bass · wave · spring

  1. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  2. The ball is in your ________________.
  3. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  4. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  5. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  6. Have you met the new head ________________?
  7. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  8. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  9. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  10. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  11. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  12. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  13. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  14. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  15. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  16. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  17. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  18. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  19. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  20. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  21. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  22. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  23. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  24. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. coach — pulled by horses
  2. court — for sport
  3. court — of a king
  4. wave — a sudden rise
  5. court — of law
  6. coach — a trainer
  7. fan — to cool the air
  8. hand — in cards
  9. coach — a trainer
  10. wave — with your hand
  11. bass — the instrument
  12. spring — the season
  13. fan — a supporter
  14. spring — a coil
  15. fan — a supporter
  16. can — to be able to
  17. wave — of the sea
  18. spring — of water
  19. can — a tin
  20. can — a tin
  21. bass — the fish
  22. bass — low music
  23. hand — help
  24. hand — part of the body

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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