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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: patient · court · snap · foot · can · cell

  1. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  2. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  3. The ball is in your ________________.
  4. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  5. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  6. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  7. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  8. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  9. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  10. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  11. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  12. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  13. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  14. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  15. He was locked up in a ________________.
  16. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  17. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  18. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.

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

Answer key

  1. foot — a measure
  2. can — a tin
  3. court — for sport
  4. snap — to snap out of it
  5. snap — to click
  6. cell — in biology
  7. court — of a king
  8. can — to be able to
  9. cell — a phone
  10. foot — part of the body
  11. patient — calm and waiting
  12. foot — the bottom
  13. patient — a sick person
  14. patient — a sick person
  15. cell — in a prison
  16. snap — to speak sharply
  17. court — of law
  18. can — a tin

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