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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: bulb · pound · court · patient · net · ground · hide · scale

  1. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  2. The ball is in your ________________.
  3. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  4. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  5. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  6. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  7. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  8. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  9. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  10. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  11. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  12. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  13. The light ________________ burned out.
  14. There's no middle ________________.
  15. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  16. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  17. I've got to change the light ________________.
  18. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  19. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  20. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  21. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  22. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  23. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  24. Add some ________________ pepper to it.

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

Answer key

  1. court — of a king
  2. court — for sport
  3. ground — the earth
  4. scale — in music
  5. scale — for weighing
  6. hide — to keep secret
  7. scale — size or range
  8. hide — to keep secret
  9. patient — a sick person
  10. net — in sport
  11. net — for catching
  12. patient — a sick person
  13. bulb — for light
  14. ground — a position
  15. pound — to hit hard
  16. pound — a weight
  17. bulb — for light
  18. court — of law
  19. patient — calm and waiting
  20. pound — for dogs
  21. hide — animal skin
  22. net — after costs
  23. bulb — of a plant
  24. ground — crushed

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