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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: plane · ground · patient · can · kid · court · squash · spring

  1. The ball is in your ________________.
  2. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  3. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  4. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  5. There's no middle ________________.
  6. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  7. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  8. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  9. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  10. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  11. The ________________ took off on time.
  12. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  13. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  14. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  15. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  16. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  17. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  18. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  19. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  20. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  21. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  22. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  23. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  24. I'd like to play a game of ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. court — for sport
  2. ground — crushed
  3. spring — the season
  4. court — of a king
  5. ground — a position
  6. patient — a sick person
  7. plane — in geometry
  8. ground — the earth
  9. court — of law
  10. squash — to crush
  11. plane — an aircraft
  12. spring — a coil
  13. kid — to tease
  14. can — a tin
  15. kid — child
  16. patient — calm and waiting
  17. squash — the vegetable
  18. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  19. patient — a sick person
  20. can — to be able to
  21. plane — a tool
  22. can — a tin
  23. spring — of water
  24. squash — the sport

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