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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.

Words on the sheet
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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 · scale · court · tube · wound · race · bowl · bulb

  1. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  2. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  3. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  4. I've got to change the light ________________.
  5. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  6. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  7. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  8. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  9. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  10. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  11. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  12. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  13. The light ________________ burned out.
  14. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  15. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  16. I'll be taking the ________________.
  17. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  18. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  19. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  20. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  21. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  22. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  23. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  24. The ball is in your ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bowl — a football final
  2. court — of a king
  3. scale — in music
  4. bulb — for light
  5. tube — in a tire
  6. race — the arms race
  7. bowl — a dish
  8. bowl — to roll
  9. wound — an injury
  10. race — humankind
  11. patient — a sick person
  12. scale — size or range
  13. bulb — for light
  14. wound — an injury
  15. scale — for weighing
  16. tube — the underground
  17. tube — a container
  18. patient — a sick person
  19. wound — past of 'wind'
  20. race — a contest
  21. court — of law
  22. bulb — of a plant
  23. patient — calm and waiting
  24. court — for sport

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