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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: ground · fan · patient · root · stick · cell · cabinet · court

  1. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  2. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  3. What do you think of the new ________________?
  4. He was locked up in a ________________.
  5. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  6. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  7. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  8. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  9. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  10. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  11. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  12. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  13. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  14. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  15. The ball is in your ________________.
  16. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  17. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  18. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  19. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  20. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  21. There's no middle ________________.
  22. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  23. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  24. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.

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

Answer key

  1. court — of a king
  2. root — the cause
  3. cabinet — ministers
  4. cell — in a prison
  5. fan — to cool the air
  6. ground — the earth
  7. cell — in biology
  8. cell — a phone
  9. court — of law
  10. root — of a word
  11. fan — a supporter
  12. ground — crushed
  13. cabinet — ministers
  14. root — of a plant
  15. court — for sport
  16. stick — a piece of wood
  17. fan — a supporter
  18. stick — a piece of wood
  19. patient — a sick person
  20. patient — calm and waiting
  21. ground — a position
  22. cabinet — a cupboard
  23. stick — to attach or keep to
  24. patient — a sick person

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