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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.

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: staff · fork · bowl · tear · pitcher · patient · court · bound

  1. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  2. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  3. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  4. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  5. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  6. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  7. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  8. The ball is in your ________________.
  9. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  10. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  11. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  12. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  13. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  14. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  15. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  16. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  17. That was ________________ to happen.
  18. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  19. He is an ace ________________.
  20. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  21. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  22. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  23. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  24. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.

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

Answer key

  1. tear — from crying
  2. bowl — a dish
  3. bowl — to roll
  4. staff — employees
  5. fork — in a road
  6. patient — calm and waiting
  7. patient — a sick person
  8. court — for sport
  9. pitcher — a jug
  10. patient — a sick person
  11. fork — a garden tool
  12. court — of a king
  13. bound — obliged
  14. bound — tied together
  15. bowl — a football final
  16. pitcher — a jug
  17. bound — certain
  18. staff — employees
  19. pitcher — in baseball
  20. staff — a stick
  21. tear — to rip
  22. fork — to eat with
  23. court — of law
  24. tear — from crying

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