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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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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 farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  2. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  3. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  4. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  5. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  6. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  7. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  8. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  9. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  10. The ball is in your ________________.
  11. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  12. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  13. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  14. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  15. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  16. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  17. Don't do anything ________________.
  18. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  19. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  20. Have you settled on a ________________?
  21. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  22. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  23. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  24. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. patient — calm and waiting
  2. staff — employees
  3. court — of law
  4. bowl — a football final
  5. date — on the calendar
  6. rash — on the skin
  7. staff — a stick
  8. patient — a sick person
  9. branch — a division
  10. court — for sport
  11. bowl — to roll
  12. court — of a king
  13. branch — of a tree
  14. branch — of a bank
  15. patient — a sick person
  16. date — the fruit
  17. rash — hasty
  18. jam — a tight spot
  19. rash — a series
  20. date — on the calendar
  21. jam — to spread on bread
  22. staff — employees
  23. jam — in traffic
  24. bowl — a dish

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