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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 · calf · bank · land · patient · march · rock · mug

  1. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  2. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  3. When are we going to ________________?
  4. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  5. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  6. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  7. The ball is in your ________________.
  8. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  9. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  10. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  11. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  12. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  13. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  14. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  15. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  16. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  17. Where did you ________________ them?
  18. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  19. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  20. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  21. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  22. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  23. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  24. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.

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

Answer key

  1. bank — for money
  2. march — the month
  3. land — to come down
  4. patient — a sick person
  5. bank — of a river
  6. patient — a sick person
  7. court — for sport
  8. march — music
  9. rock — music
  10. rock — a stone
  11. land — a country
  12. calf — of the leg
  13. calf — a young animal
  14. mug — a face
  15. court — of a king
  16. land — ground
  17. mug — to rob
  18. calf — a young animal
  19. mug — a cup
  20. rock — to move gently
  21. court — of law
  22. patient — calm and waiting
  23. march — the month
  24. bank — for money

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