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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: band · board · court · ball · stock · bore · patient · saw

  1. The King held a masked ________________.
  2. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  3. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  4. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  5. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  6. The ball is in your ________________.
  7. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  8. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  9. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  10. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  11. She's very handy with a ________________.
  12. He works in a ________________ mill.
  13. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  14. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  15. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  16. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  17. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  18. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  19. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  20. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  21. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  22. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  23. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  24. The ________________ market has crashed.

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

Answer key

  1. ball — a dance
  2. band — a music group
  3. court — of a king
  4. band — a ring
  5. patient — a sick person
  6. court — for sport
  7. patient — a sick person
  8. bore — gave birth
  9. bore — to drill
  10. stock — a soup base
  11. saw — the tool
  12. saw — the tool
  13. court — of law
  14. bore — to tire
  15. ball — a great time
  16. board — to get on
  17. board — a flat piece
  18. board — a committee
  19. patient — calm and waiting
  20. band — a rubber band
  21. saw — past of 'see'
  22. ball — a round shape
  23. stock — goods
  24. stock — shares

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