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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: rest · board · ball · patient · fine · plane · date · spell

  1. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  2. The King held a masked ________________.
  3. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  4. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  5. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  6. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  7. The ________________ took off on time.
  8. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  9. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  10. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  11. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  12. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  13. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  14. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  15. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  16. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  17. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  18. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  19. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  20. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  21. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  22. Have you settled on a ________________?
  23. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  24. How do you ________________ your surname?

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

Answer key

  1. board — a flat piece
  2. ball — a dance
  3. date — on the calendar
  4. rest — what's left
  5. ball — a great time
  6. board — a committee
  7. plane — an aircraft
  8. date — the fruit
  9. rest — what's left
  10. fine — high quality
  11. ball — a round shape
  12. plane — in geometry
  13. fine — all right
  14. patient — calm and waiting
  15. rest — a break
  16. plane — a tool
  17. patient — a sick person
  18. board — to get on
  19. spell — magic
  20. fine — a penalty
  21. patient — a sick person
  22. date — on the calendar
  23. spell — a short time
  24. spell — letters

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