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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: patient · court · cabinet · rush · suit · branch · tear · wake

  1. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  2. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  3. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  4. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  5. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  6. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  7. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  8. What do you think of the new ________________?
  9. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  10. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  11. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  12. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  13. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  14. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  15. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  16. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  17. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  18. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  19. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  20. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  21. The ball is in your ________________.
  22. When will it ________________ you to start?
  23. That must've been a ________________.
  24. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. court — of law
  2. tear — from crying
  3. rush — to hurry
  4. patient — a sick person
  5. branch — of a tree
  6. rush — hurry
  7. suit — in cards
  8. cabinet — ministers
  9. cabinet — ministers
  10. wake — a trail
  11. branch — a division
  12. branch — of a bank
  13. wake — to stop sleeping
  14. tear — to rip
  15. wake — before a funeral
  16. patient — calm and waiting
  17. tear — from crying
  18. suit — clothes
  19. patient — a sick person
  20. court — of a king
  21. court — for sport
  22. suit — to fit
  23. rush — a thrill
  24. cabinet — a cupboard

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