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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 116 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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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  2. The ball is in your ________________.
  3. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  4. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  5. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  6. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  7. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  8. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  9. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  10. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  11. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  12. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  13. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  14. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  15. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  16. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  17. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  18. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  19. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  20. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  21. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  22. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  23. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  24. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. straw — dry grass
  2. court — for sport
  3. straw — a straw man
  4. patient — a sick person
  5. club — for dancing
  6. straw — to clutch at straws
  7. racket — a loud noise
  8. racket — for tennis
  9. spring — of water
  10. cap — a hat
  11. bank — for money
  12. patient — calm and waiting
  13. patient — a sick person
  14. cap — of ice
  15. court — of a king
  16. cap — a lid
  17. spring — the season
  18. club — a group
  19. club — for golf
  20. racket — for tennis
  21. court — of law
  22. bank — for money
  23. spring — a coil
  24. bank — of a river

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