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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: field · stock · last · bowl · branch · court · fan · patient

  1. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  2. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  3. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  4. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  5. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  6. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  7. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  8. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  9. The ball is in your ________________.
  10. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  11. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  12. False peace will not ________________.
  13. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  14. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  15. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  16. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  17. The ________________ market has crashed.
  18. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  19. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  20. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  21. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  22. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  23. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  24. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.

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

Answer key

  1. court — of a king
  2. branch — a division
  3. field — a subject
  4. patient — calm and waiting
  5. patient — a sick person
  6. branch — of a tree
  7. last — finally
  8. bowl — a football final
  9. court — for sport
  10. branch — of a bank
  11. stock — goods
  12. last — to go on
  13. last — final
  14. bowl — to roll
  15. bowl — a dish
  16. fan — a supporter
  17. stock — shares
  18. stock — a soup base
  19. patient — a sick person
  20. fan — to cool the air
  21. court — of law
  22. field — farmland
  23. field — for sport
  24. fan — a supporter

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