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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: mine · court · pound · patient · leaves · wake · degree · bowl

  1. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  2. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  3. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  4. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  5. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  6. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  7. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  8. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  9. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  10. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  11. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  12. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  13. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  14. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  15. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  16. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  17. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  18. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  19. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  20. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  21. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  22. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  23. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  24. The ball is in your ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. mine — belonging to me
  2. bowl — a dish
  3. degree — from a university
  4. bowl — a football final
  5. degree — temperature
  6. pound — for dogs
  7. patient — a sick person
  8. court — of a king
  9. pound — to hit hard
  10. patient — calm and waiting
  11. leaves — of a tree
  12. wake — to stop sleeping
  13. leaves — to go away
  14. pound — a weight
  15. patient — a sick person
  16. wake — a trail
  17. leaves — lets stay
  18. mine — for digging
  19. wake — before a funeral
  20. court — of law
  21. degree — an amount
  22. mine — an explosive
  23. bowl — to roll
  24. court — for sport

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