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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 116 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: bore · court · patient · spring · ball · hide · shower · ground

  1. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  2. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  3. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  4. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  5. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  6. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  7. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  8. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  9. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  10. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  11. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  12. The ball is in your ________________.
  13. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  14. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  15. There's no middle ________________.
  16. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  17. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  18. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  19. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  20. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  21. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  22. The King held a masked ________________.
  23. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  24. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.

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

Answer key

  1. ball — a round shape
  2. patient — a sick person
  3. patient — a sick person
  4. shower — rain
  5. spring — the season
  6. ground — the earth
  7. hide — animal skin
  8. court — of law
  9. bore — to tire
  10. spring — of water
  11. hide — to keep secret
  12. court — for sport
  13. shower — to wash
  14. hide — to keep secret
  15. ground — a position
  16. shower — a meteor shower
  17. court — of a king
  18. bore — gave birth
  19. patient — calm and waiting
  20. spring — a coil
  21. ground — crushed
  22. ball — a dance
  23. ball — a great time
  24. bore — to drill

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