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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: court · mate · board · track · pitcher · bound · wax · patient

  1. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  2. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  3. He is an ace ________________.
  4. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  5. Have you found your soul ________________?
  6. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  7. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  8. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  9. The ball is in your ________________.
  10. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  11. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  12. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  13. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  14. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  15. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  16. That was ________________ to happen.
  17. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  18. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  19. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  20. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  21. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  22. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  23. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  24. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.

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

Answer key

  1. patient — a sick person
  2. mate — a friend
  3. pitcher — in baseball
  4. board — a flat piece
  5. mate — a partner
  6. court — of a king
  7. patient — calm and waiting
  8. board — a committee
  9. court — for sport
  10. track — a song
  11. wax — to grow
  12. pitcher — a jug
  13. track — a path
  14. mate — to breed
  15. wax — in the ear
  16. bound — certain
  17. board — to get on
  18. patient — a sick person
  19. track — to keep track
  20. court — of law
  21. bound — obliged
  22. wax — for sculpting
  23. pitcher — a jug
  24. bound — tied together

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