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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: current · patient · mine · court · nail · rock · ball · cabinet

  1. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  2. What do you think of the new ________________?
  3. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  4. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  5. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  6. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  7. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  8. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  9. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  10. The ball is in your ________________.
  11. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  12. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  13. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  14. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  15. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  16. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  17. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  18. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  19. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  20. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  21. The King held a masked ________________.
  22. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  23. The ________________ went through the wall.
  24. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.

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

Answer key

  1. mine — an explosive
  2. cabinet — ministers
  3. court — of a king
  4. mine — for digging
  5. ball — a round shape
  6. current — electric
  7. current — happening now
  8. rock — music
  9. nail — for a hammer
  10. court — for sport
  11. mine — belonging to me
  12. ball — a great time
  13. patient — a sick person
  14. cabinet — ministers
  15. court — of law
  16. rock — to move gently
  17. rock — a stone
  18. nail — on a finger
  19. current — of water
  20. cabinet — a cupboard
  21. ball — a dance
  22. patient — a sick person
  23. nail — for a hammer
  24. patient — calm and waiting

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