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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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468
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: stem · court · bank · wound · rush · lash · pit · patient

  1. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  2. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  3. The ball is in your ________________.
  4. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  5. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  6. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  7. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  8. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  9. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  10. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  11. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  12. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  13. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  14. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  15. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  16. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  17. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  18. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  19. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  20. That must've been a ________________.
  21. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  22. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  23. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  24. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. wound — an injury
  2. lash — a whip stroke
  3. court — for sport
  4. bank — of a river
  5. patient — a sick person
  6. rush — to hurry
  7. patient — calm and waiting
  8. court — of law
  9. pit — in a race
  10. bank — for money
  11. pit — a hole
  12. bank — for money
  13. court — of a king
  14. lash — to lash out
  15. stem — a stem cell
  16. patient — a sick person
  17. rush — hurry
  18. wound — past of 'wind'
  19. stem — to come from
  20. rush — a thrill
  21. pit — a fruit stone
  22. lash — an eyelash
  23. wound — an injury
  24. stem — of a plant

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