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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.

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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: fine · leaves · row · bulb · wind · spell · court · spring

  1. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  2. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  3. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  4. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  5. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  6. I've got to change the light ________________.
  7. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  8. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  9. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  10. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  11. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  12. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  13. How do you ________________ your surname?
  14. The light ________________ burned out.
  15. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  16. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  17. The ball is in your ________________.
  18. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  19. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  20. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  21. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  22. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  23. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  24. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.

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

Answer key

  1. row — a quarrel
  2. fine — a penalty
  3. court — of a king
  4. row — a line
  5. spring — the season
  6. bulb — for light
  7. spring — a coil
  8. wind — moving air
  9. wind — to turn a key
  10. bulb — of a plant
  11. leaves — to go away
  12. leaves — of a tree
  13. spell — letters
  14. bulb — for light
  15. wind — moving air
  16. court — of law
  17. court — for sport
  18. spell — magic
  19. fine — all right
  20. spell — a short time
  21. row — to paddle
  22. spring — of water
  23. fine — high quality
  24. leaves — lets stay

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