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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: spring · wave · patient · court · foot · bank · stock · game

  1. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  2. The ball is in your ________________.
  3. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  4. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  5. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  6. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  7. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  8. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  9. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  10. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  11. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  12. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  13. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  14. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  15. That was a fun ________________.
  16. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  17. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  18. The ________________ market has crashed.
  19. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  20. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  21. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  22. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  23. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  24. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.

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

Answer key

  1. court — of a king
  2. court — for sport
  3. bank — for money
  4. game — a kind of play
  5. foot — the bottom
  6. stock — goods
  7. court — of law
  8. foot — a measure
  9. bank — of a river
  10. patient — a sick person
  11. spring — the season
  12. patient — calm and waiting
  13. patient — a sick person
  14. foot — part of the body
  15. game — a match
  16. wave — with your hand
  17. spring — of water
  18. stock — shares
  19. stock — a soup base
  20. spring — a coil
  21. game — wild animals
  22. wave — of the sea
  23. bank — for money
  24. wave — a sudden rise

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