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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 ball is in your ________________.
  2. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  3. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  4. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  5. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  6. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  7. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  8. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  9. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  10. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  11. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  12. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  13. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  14. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  15. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  16. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  17. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  18. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  19. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  20. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  21. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  22. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  23. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  24. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. court — for sport
  2. patient — a sick person
  3. wound — an injury
  4. patient — calm and waiting
  5. wave — of the sea
  6. patient — a sick person
  7. band — a rubber band
  8. vault — in gymnastics
  9. wound — past of 'wind'
  10. branch — of a tree
  11. club — for dancing
  12. branch — of a bank
  13. wave — a sudden rise
  14. wound — an injury
  15. vault — a safe
  16. court — of law
  17. club — a group
  18. wave — with your hand
  19. branch — a division
  20. club — for golf
  21. court — of a king
  22. band — a music group
  23. vault — an arched ceiling
  24. band — a ring

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