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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: lean · court · cabinet · board · cold · patient · temple · fork

  1. When was this ________________ built?
  2. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  3. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  4. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  5. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  6. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  7. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  8. The ball is in your ________________.
  9. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  10. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  11. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  12. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  13. What do you think of the new ________________?
  14. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  15. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  16. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  17. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  18. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  19. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  20. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  21. The water is too ________________.
  22. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  23. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  24. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.

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

Answer key

  1. temple — a place of worship
  2. fork — to eat with
  3. board — a committee
  4. patient — a sick person
  5. fork — in a road
  6. lean — to bend
  7. board — a flat piece
  8. court — for sport
  9. court — of law
  10. temple — side of the head
  11. fork — a garden tool
  12. cabinet — ministers
  13. cabinet — ministers
  14. patient — calm and waiting
  15. cabinet — a cupboard
  16. board — to get on
  17. cold — an illness
  18. court — of a king
  19. patient — a sick person
  20. temple — a place of worship
  21. cold — not warm
  22. lean — thin
  23. cold — the Cold War
  24. lean — to rest against

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