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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: lean · net · staff · court · key · club · mark · patient

  1. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  2. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  3. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  4. This piece is in a major ________________.
  5. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  6. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  7. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  8. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  9. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  10. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  11. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  12. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  13. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  14. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  15. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  16. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  17. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  18. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  19. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  20. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  21. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  22. The ball is in your ________________.
  23. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  24. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.

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

Answer key

  1. mark — to pay attention
  2. lean — to bend
  3. lean — thin
  4. key — in music
  5. mark — a trace
  6. court — of law
  7. net — in sport
  8. staff — employees
  9. staff — employees
  10. patient — calm and waiting
  11. patient — a sick person
  12. mark — a grade
  13. patient — a sick person
  14. club — for golf
  15. key — for a lock
  16. key — the most important part
  17. net — for catching
  18. club — for dancing
  19. net — after costs
  20. court — of a king
  21. staff — a stick
  22. court — for sport
  23. lean — to rest against
  24. club — a group

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