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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 120 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 · drill · game · root · cabinet · bulb · prune

  1. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  2. What do you think of the new ________________?
  3. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  4. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  5. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  6. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  7. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  8. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  9. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  10. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  11. That was a fun ________________.
  12. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  13. The light ________________ burned out.
  14. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  15. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  16. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  17. I've got to change the light ________________.
  18. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  19. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  20. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  21. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  22. The ball is in your ________________.
  23. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  24. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.

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

Answer key

  1. court — of law
  2. cabinet — ministers
  3. drill — a practice
  4. prune — to trim
  5. game — a kind of play
  6. game — wild animals
  7. cabinet — a cupboard
  8. prune — the fruit
  9. bulb — of a plant
  10. root — the cause
  11. game — a match
  12. prune — to trim
  13. bulb — for light
  14. drill — army training
  15. root — of a word
  16. cabinet — ministers
  17. bulb — for light
  18. patient — calm and waiting
  19. court — of a king
  20. patient — a sick person
  21. patient — a sick person
  22. court — for sport
  23. drill — the tool
  24. root — of a plant

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