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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: bat · patient · swing · stem · court · dip · vault · bowl

  1. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  2. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  3. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  4. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  5. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  6. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  7. David sat on the ________________.
  8. The ball is in your ________________.
  9. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  10. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  11. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  12. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  13. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  14. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  15. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  16. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  17. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  18. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  19. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  20. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  21. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  22. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  23. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  24. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.

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

Answer key

  1. dip — to dunk
  2. stem — to come from
  3. patient — calm and waiting
  4. patient — a sick person
  5. stem — a stem cell
  6. bat — in an idiom
  7. swing — to play on
  8. court — for sport
  9. vault — a safe
  10. bat — for baseball
  11. patient — a sick person
  12. bowl — a football final
  13. dip — to sink
  14. swing — music
  15. court — of a king
  16. vault — an arched ceiling
  17. bowl — a dish
  18. dip — a sauce
  19. bat — the animal
  20. stem — of a plant
  21. swing — in golf
  22. court — of law
  23. bowl — to roll
  24. vault — in gymnastics

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