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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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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: shower · capital · court · suit · cell · patient · straw · branch

  1. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  2. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  3. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  4. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  5. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  6. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  7. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  8. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  9. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  10. The ball is in your ________________.
  11. When will it ________________ you to start?
  12. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  13. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  14. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  15. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  16. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  17. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  18. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  19. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  20. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  21. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  22. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  23. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  24. He was locked up in a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. suit — clothes
  2. branch — of a tree
  3. cell — in biology
  4. cell — a phone
  5. patient — a sick person
  6. straw — dry grass
  7. court — of a king
  8. straw — a straw man
  9. court — of law
  10. court — for sport
  11. suit — to fit
  12. shower — rain
  13. capital — a city
  14. shower — a meteor shower
  15. capital — money
  16. branch — of a bank
  17. capital — a big letter
  18. straw — to clutch at straws
  19. branch — a division
  20. patient — a sick person
  21. shower — to wash
  22. patient — calm and waiting
  23. suit — in cards
  24. cell — in a prison

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