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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.

Words on the sheet
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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: land · club · bass · mate · band · stand · court · patient

  1. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  2. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  3. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  4. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  5. The ball is in your ________________.
  6. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  7. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  8. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  9. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  10. I can't ________________ this cold.
  11. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  12. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  13. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  14. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  15. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  16. When are we going to ________________?
  17. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  18. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  19. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  20. Have you found your soul ________________?
  21. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  22. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  23. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  24. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?

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

Answer key

  1. court — of a king
  2. band — a ring
  3. band — a music group
  4. bass — the instrument
  5. court — for sport
  6. club — a group
  7. patient — calm and waiting
  8. mate — to breed
  9. land — a country
  10. stand — to bear
  11. stand — on your feet
  12. bass — low music
  13. court — of law
  14. club — for golf
  15. club — for dancing
  16. land — to come down
  17. bass — the fish
  18. land — ground
  19. patient — a sick person
  20. mate — a partner
  21. stand — for spectators
  22. band — a rubber band
  23. patient — a sick person
  24. mate — a friend

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