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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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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: bank · racket · fork · bark · cell · patient · degree · court

  1. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  2. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  3. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  4. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  5. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  6. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  7. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  8. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  9. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  10. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  11. The ball is in your ________________.
  12. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  13. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  14. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  15. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  16. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  17. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  18. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  19. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  20. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  21. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  22. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  23. He was locked up in a ________________.
  24. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.

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

Answer key

  1. bank — for money
  2. degree — from a university
  3. degree — temperature
  4. bark — to shout
  5. bark — a dog's sound
  6. cell — in biology
  7. fork — in a road
  8. degree — an amount
  9. bank — of a river
  10. patient — calm and waiting
  11. court — for sport
  12. court — of a king
  13. racket — for tennis
  14. fork — to eat with
  15. fork — a garden tool
  16. patient — a sick person
  17. court — of law
  18. bark — of a tree
  19. racket — a loud noise
  20. cell — a phone
  21. racket — for tennis
  22. patient — a sick person
  23. cell — in a prison
  24. bank — for money

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