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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 · sharp · bowl · spell · patient · branch · lean · ball

  1. It's one o'clock ________________.
  2. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  3. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  4. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  5. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  6. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  7. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  8. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  9. How do you ________________ your surname?
  10. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  11. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  12. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  13. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  14. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  15. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  16. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  17. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  18. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  19. The King held a masked ________________.
  20. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  21. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  22. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  23. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  24. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. sharp — exactly
  2. mine — for digging
  3. mine — an explosive
  4. lean — to bend
  5. mine — belonging to me
  6. branch — of a tree
  7. sharp — with an edge
  8. patient — calm and waiting
  9. spell — letters
  10. branch — a division
  11. bowl — a football final
  12. ball — a round shape
  13. spell — magic
  14. spell — a short time
  15. lean — to rest against
  16. branch — of a bank
  17. sharp — clever
  18. lean — thin
  19. ball — a dance
  20. patient — a sick person
  21. bowl — to roll
  22. ball — a great time
  23. patient — a sick person
  24. bowl — a dish

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