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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: court · vault · toast · spell · bank · patient · pound · squash

  1. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  2. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  3. The ball is in your ________________.
  4. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  5. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  6. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  7. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  8. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  9. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  10. How do you ________________ your surname?
  11. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  12. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  13. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  14. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  15. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  16. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  17. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  18. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  19. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  20. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  21. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  22. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  23. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  24. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.

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

Answer key

  1. patient — calm and waiting
  2. patient — a sick person
  3. court — for sport
  4. squash — the sport
  5. toast — the most admired
  6. bank — for money
  7. toast — bread
  8. squash — to crush
  9. squash — the vegetable
  10. spell — letters
  11. pound — for dogs
  12. pound — to hit hard
  13. court — of law
  14. pound — a weight
  15. toast — a drink to someone
  16. vault — an arched ceiling
  17. spell — magic
  18. bank — of a river
  19. bank — for money
  20. court — of a king
  21. vault — in gymnastics
  22. spell — a short time
  23. vault — a safe
  24. patient — a sick person

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