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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: cue · ball · spring · mine · bear · fan · court · bulb

  1. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  2. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  3. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  4. The ball is in your ________________.
  5. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  6. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  7. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  8. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  9. The King held a masked ________________.
  10. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  11. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  12. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  13. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  14. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  15. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  16. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  17. I've got to change the light ________________.
  18. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  19. The light ________________ burned out.
  20. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  21. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  22. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  23. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  24. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.

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

Answer key

  1. ball — a great time
  2. cue — a signal
  3. fan — to cool the air
  4. court — for sport
  5. bear — the animal
  6. mine — an explosive
  7. court — of law
  8. spring — of water
  9. ball — a dance
  10. bulb — of a plant
  11. court — of a king
  12. spring — a coil
  13. spring — the season
  14. bear — the animal
  15. ball — a round shape
  16. cue — a hint
  17. bulb — for light
  18. mine — for digging
  19. bulb — for light
  20. bear — to put up with
  21. cue — for pool
  22. fan — a supporter
  23. fan — a supporter
  24. mine — belonging to me

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