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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.

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: court · hand · patient · row · staff · mouse · temple · wax

  1. The ball is in your ________________.
  2. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  3. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  4. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  5. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  6. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  7. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  8. When was this ________________ built?
  9. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  10. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  11. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  12. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  13. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  14. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  15. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  16. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  17. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  18. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  19. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  20. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  21. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  22. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  23. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  24. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?

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. mouse — for a computer
  4. temple — side of the head
  5. mouse — the animal
  6. hand — help
  7. staff — employees
  8. temple — a place of worship
  9. hand — part of the body
  10. row — to paddle
  11. wax — to grow
  12. patient — a sick person
  13. mouse — the animal
  14. temple — a place of worship
  15. row — a quarrel
  16. court — of law
  17. hand — in cards
  18. staff — employees
  19. court — of a king
  20. staff — a stick
  21. row — a line
  22. patient — calm and waiting
  23. wax — for sculpting
  24. wax — in the ear

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