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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: patient · bass · court · scale · tube · jam · ground · fork

  1. The ball is in your ________________.
  2. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  3. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  4. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  5. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  6. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  7. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  8. I'll be taking the ________________.
  9. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  10. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  11. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  12. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  13. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  14. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  15. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  16. There's no middle ________________.
  17. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  18. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  19. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  20. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  21. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  22. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  23. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  24. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.

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

Answer key

  1. court — for sport
  2. bass — the fish
  3. court — of law
  4. bass — the instrument
  5. tube — a container
  6. jam — to spread on bread
  7. fork — a garden tool
  8. tube — the underground
  9. fork — in a road
  10. court — of a king
  11. patient — calm and waiting
  12. ground — crushed
  13. ground — the earth
  14. jam — in traffic
  15. scale — in music
  16. ground — a position
  17. patient — a sick person
  18. patient — a sick person
  19. scale — size or range
  20. tube — in a tire
  21. fork — to eat with
  22. bass — low music
  23. jam — a tight spot
  24. scale — for weighing

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