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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: branch · net · court · patient · stock · rest · pop · racket

  1. The ball is in your ________________.
  2. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  3. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  4. You don't need to ________________ round.
  5. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  6. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  7. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  8. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  9. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  10. We're almost out of ________________.
  11. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  12. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  13. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  14. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  15. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  16. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  17. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  18. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  19. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  20. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  21. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  22. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  23. The ________________ market has crashed.
  24. The ball hit the back of the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. court — for sport
  2. patient — a sick person
  3. rest — what's left
  4. pop — to visit
  5. pop — music
  6. racket — for tennis
  7. court — of a king
  8. stock — goods
  9. racket — for tennis
  10. pop — soda
  11. net — for catching
  12. stock — a soup base
  13. court — of law
  14. net — after costs
  15. rest — what's left
  16. branch — a division
  17. patient — calm and waiting
  18. racket — a loud noise
  19. branch — of a tree
  20. patient — a sick person
  21. branch — of a bank
  22. rest — a break
  23. stock — shares
  24. net — in sport

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