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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: court · bowl · rule · game · branch · rash · bark · patient

  1. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  2. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  3. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  4. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  5. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  6. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  7. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  8. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  9. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  10. The ball is in your ________________.
  11. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  12. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  13. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  14. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  15. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  16. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  17. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  18. Don't do anything ________________.
  19. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  20. That was a fun ________________.
  21. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  22. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  23. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  24. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.

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

Answer key

  1. bark — a dog's sound
  2. court — of a king
  3. rule — to rule out
  4. rule — government
  5. bowl — to roll
  6. patient — a sick person
  7. branch — a division
  8. game — a kind of play
  9. bowl — a football final
  10. court — for sport
  11. court — of law
  12. game — wild animals
  13. bark — to shout
  14. rule — a law
  15. rash — on the skin
  16. branch — of a bank
  17. bark — of a tree
  18. rash — hasty
  19. patient — calm and waiting
  20. game — a match
  21. bowl — a dish
  22. patient — a sick person
  23. rash — a series
  24. branch — of a tree

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