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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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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  2. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  3. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  4. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  5. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  6. How do you ________________ your surname?
  7. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  8. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  9. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  10. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  11. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  12. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  13. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  14. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  15. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  16. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  17. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  18. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  19. I can't ________________ this cold.
  20. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  21. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  22. The ball is in your ________________.
  23. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  24. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.

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

Answer key

  1. patient — a sick person
  2. can — a tin
  3. wind — moving air
  4. can — a tin
  5. patient — calm and waiting
  6. spell — letters
  7. spell — magic
  8. stand — for spectators
  9. stand — on your feet
  10. board — a committee
  11. shower — to wash
  12. wind — to turn a key
  13. wind — moving air
  14. shower — rain
  15. patient — a sick person
  16. can — to be able to
  17. board — a flat piece
  18. court — of law
  19. stand — to bear
  20. board — to get on
  21. shower — a meteor shower
  22. court — for sport
  23. spell — a short time
  24. court — of a king

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