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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 · shower · temple · root · patient · bowl · jam · wave

  1. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  2. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  3. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  4. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  5. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  6. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  7. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  8. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  9. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  10. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  11. The ball is in your ________________.
  12. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  13. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  14. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  15. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  16. When was this ________________ built?
  17. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  18. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  19. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  20. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  21. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  22. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  23. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  24. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. court — of a king
  2. root — of a plant
  3. patient — a sick person
  4. temple — a place of worship
  5. court — of law
  6. jam — in traffic
  7. bowl — to roll
  8. bowl — a dish
  9. wave — with your hand
  10. temple — side of the head
  11. court — for sport
  12. jam — a tight spot
  13. wave — a sudden rise
  14. root — the cause
  15. wave — of the sea
  16. temple — a place of worship
  17. shower — a meteor shower
  18. shower — to wash
  19. jam — to spread on bread
  20. bowl — a football final
  21. patient — calm and waiting
  22. shower — rain
  23. root — of a word
  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