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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: season · dip · court · root · rest · land · patient · swing

  1. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  2. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  3. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  4. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  5. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  6. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  7. Did you ________________ the meat?
  8. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  9. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  10. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  11. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  12. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  13. The ball is in your ________________.
  14. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  15. When are we going to ________________?
  16. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  17. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  18. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  19. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  20. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  21. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  22. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  23. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  24. David sat on the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. root — of a plant
  2. court — of a king
  3. rest — what's left
  4. swing — music
  5. patient — a sick person
  6. swing — in golf
  7. season — to add flavour
  8. rest — a break
  9. court — of law
  10. land — a country
  11. patient — a sick person
  12. dip — a sauce
  13. court — for sport
  14. root — of a word
  15. land — to come down
  16. season — in sport
  17. land — ground
  18. patient — calm and waiting
  19. season — of the year
  20. dip — to sink
  21. dip — to dunk
  22. root — the cause
  23. rest — what's left
  24. swing — to play on

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