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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: court · vault · bear · pitcher · patient · band · pass · mouse

  1. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  2. The ball is in your ________________.
  3. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  4. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  5. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  6. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  7. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  8. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  9. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  10. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  11. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  12. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  13. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  14. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  15. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  16. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  17. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  18. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  19. He is an ace ________________.
  20. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  21. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  22. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  23. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  24. Fill up this ________________ with water.

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

Answer key

  1. band — a ring
  2. court — for sport
  3. mouse — the animal
  4. patient — a sick person
  5. pass — a permit
  6. patient — a sick person
  7. bear — to put up with
  8. band — a rubber band
  9. court — of a king
  10. band — a music group
  11. pass — to spend time
  12. pitcher — a jug
  13. vault — a safe
  14. court — of law
  15. vault — in gymnastics
  16. mouse — the animal
  17. pass — to succeed
  18. vault — an arched ceiling
  19. pitcher — in baseball
  20. mouse — for a computer
  21. bear — the animal
  22. bear — the animal
  23. patient — calm and waiting
  24. pitcher — a jug

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