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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.

Make a worksheet

Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

Words on the sheet
468
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: leaves · stick · pop · patient · mine · bank · court · clip

  1. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  2. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  3. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  4. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  5. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  6. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  7. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  8. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  9. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  10. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  11. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  12. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  13. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  14. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  15. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  16. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  17. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  18. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  19. The ball is in your ________________.
  20. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  21. You don't need to ________________ round.
  22. We're almost out of ________________.
  23. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  24. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. patient — calm and waiting
  2. clip — for paper
  3. mine — for digging
  4. patient — a sick person
  5. bank — for money
  6. bank — for money
  7. bank — of a river
  8. leaves — lets stay
  9. court — of a king
  10. stick — a piece of wood
  11. leaves — of a tree
  12. pop — music
  13. clip — a video
  14. stick — to attach or keep to
  15. mine — an explosive
  16. leaves — to go away
  17. clip — to cut
  18. mine — belonging to me
  19. court — for sport
  20. court — of law
  21. pop — to visit
  22. pop — soda
  23. patient — a sick person
  24. stick — a piece of wood

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