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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: can · court · staff · stem · patient · pitcher · roll · hide

  1. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  2. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  3. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  4. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  5. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  6. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  7. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  8. The ball is in your ________________.
  9. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  10. We're on a ________________ here.
  11. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  12. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  13. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  14. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  15. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  16. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  17. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  18. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  19. He is an ace ________________.
  20. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  21. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  22. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  23. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  24. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.

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

Answer key

  1. can — a tin
  2. roll — a list
  3. patient — a sick person
  4. can — a tin
  5. patient — calm and waiting
  6. stem — a stem cell
  7. stem — to come from
  8. court — for sport
  9. patient — a sick person
  10. roll — on a roll
  11. pitcher — a jug
  12. hide — to keep secret
  13. court — of law
  14. roll — a cake
  15. can — to be able to
  16. stem — of a plant
  17. staff — employees
  18. hide — to keep secret
  19. pitcher — in baseball
  20. staff — a stick
  21. staff — employees
  22. court — of a king
  23. hide — animal skin
  24. pitcher — a jug

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