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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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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: tear · kick · ball · patient · face · branch · foot · court

  1. The ball is in your ________________.
  2. The King held a masked ________________.
  3. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  4. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  5. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  6. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  7. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  8. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  9. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  10. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  11. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  12. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  13. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  14. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  15. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  16. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  17. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  18. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  19. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  20. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  21. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  22. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  23. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  24. She had a strange look on her ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. court — for sport
  2. ball — a dance
  3. face — to point toward
  4. patient — calm and waiting
  5. court — of law
  6. court — of a king
  7. ball — a great time
  8. foot — part of the body
  9. patient — a sick person
  10. foot — a measure
  11. tear — from crying
  12. tear — from crying
  13. kick — in football
  14. branch — of a tree
  15. kick — with a leg
  16. foot — the bottom
  17. kick — a thrill
  18. ball — a round shape
  19. tear — to rip
  20. face — to confront
  21. patient — a sick person
  22. branch — a division
  23. branch — of a bank
  24. face — part of the head

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