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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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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: court · rock · tear · bowl · board · patient · root · capital

  1. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  2. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  3. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  4. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  5. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  6. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  7. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  8. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  9. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  10. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  11. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  12. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  13. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  14. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  15. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  16. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  17. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  18. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  19. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  20. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  21. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  22. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  23. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  24. The ball is in your ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. capital — a city
  2. patient — a sick person
  3. bowl — to roll
  4. rock — to move gently
  5. court — of a king
  6. root — of a plant
  7. patient — calm and waiting
  8. bowl — a dish
  9. tear — from crying
  10. capital — money
  11. tear — to rip
  12. board — a committee
  13. rock — music
  14. board — to get on
  15. bowl — a football final
  16. tear — from crying
  17. rock — a stone
  18. capital — a big letter
  19. patient — a sick person
  20. root — the cause
  21. root — of a word
  22. board — a flat piece
  23. court — of law
  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