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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: patient · deal · mark · pop · mouse · branch · club · court

  1. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  2. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  3. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  4. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  5. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  6. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  7. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  8. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  9. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  10. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  11. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  12. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  13. We're almost out of ________________.
  14. You don't need to ________________ round.
  15. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  16. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  17. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  18. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  19. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  20. The ball is in your ________________.
  21. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  22. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  23. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  24. Biology is a ________________ of science.

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

Answer key

  1. mark — to pay attention
  2. club — for golf
  3. mouse — the animal
  4. mark — a trace
  5. branch — of a bank
  6. mark — a grade
  7. court — of a king
  8. patient — a sick person
  9. club — a group
  10. deal — an agreement
  11. patient — a sick person
  12. patient — calm and waiting
  13. pop — soda
  14. pop — to visit
  15. branch — of a tree
  16. mouse — for a computer
  17. club — for dancing
  18. mouse — the animal
  19. pop — music
  20. court — for sport
  21. court — of law
  22. deal — a big deal
  23. deal — to handle
  24. branch — a division

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