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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: patient · coach · court · degree · current · stand · pitch · wax

  1. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  2. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  3. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  4. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  5. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  6. The ball is in your ________________.
  7. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  8. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  9. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  10. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  11. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  12. I can't ________________ this cold.
  13. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  14. Have you met the new head ________________?
  15. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  16. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  17. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  18. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  19. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  20. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  21. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  22. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  23. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  24. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.

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

Answer key

  1. current — electric
  2. wax — in the ear
  3. degree — an amount
  4. patient — calm and waiting
  5. wax — to grow
  6. court — for sport
  7. coach — pulled by horses
  8. pitch — a sports field
  9. coach — a trainer
  10. pitch — a sales talk
  11. patient — a sick person
  12. stand — to bear
  13. degree — from a university
  14. coach — a trainer
  15. court — of a king
  16. current — of water
  17. pitch — completely
  18. stand — for spectators
  19. wax — for sculpting
  20. patient — a sick person
  21. current — happening now
  22. degree — temperature
  23. stand — on your feet
  24. court — of law

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