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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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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: can · patient · leaves · season · court · trunk · bowl · deal

  1. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  2. The ball is in your ________________.
  3. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  4. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  5. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  6. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  7. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  8. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  9. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  10. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  11. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  12. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  13. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  14. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  15. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  16. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  17. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  18. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  19. Did you ________________ the meat?
  20. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  21. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  22. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  23. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  24. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.

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

Answer key

  1. deal — a big deal
  2. court — for sport
  3. trunk — of a car
  4. patient — calm and waiting
  5. leaves — of a tree
  6. trunk — of an elephant
  7. court — of a king
  8. trunk — of a tree
  9. deal — to handle
  10. season — of the year
  11. season — in sport
  12. bowl — a dish
  13. leaves — to go away
  14. patient — a sick person
  15. leaves — lets stay
  16. patient — a sick person
  17. can — a tin
  18. bowl — to roll
  19. season — to add flavour
  20. bowl — a football final
  21. can — a tin
  22. court — of law
  23. can — to be able to
  24. deal — an agreement

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