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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: wound · scale · lie · patient · spell · plane · mouse · bat

  1. The ________________ took off on time.
  2. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  3. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  4. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  5. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  6. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  7. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  8. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  9. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  10. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  11. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  12. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  13. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  14. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  15. How do you ________________ your surname?
  16. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  17. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  18. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  19. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  20. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  21. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  22. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  23. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  24. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. plane — an aircraft
  2. patient — calm and waiting
  3. spell — magic
  4. scale — for weighing
  5. plane — a tool
  6. lie — to recline
  7. wound — an injury
  8. bat — in an idiom
  9. lie — an untruth
  10. wound — past of 'wind'
  11. spell — a short time
  12. mouse — the animal
  13. bat — for baseball
  14. scale — size or range
  15. spell — letters
  16. bat — the animal
  17. patient — a sick person
  18. lie — an untruth
  19. scale — in music
  20. mouse — the animal
  21. wound — an injury
  22. patient — a sick person
  23. mouse — for a computer
  24. plane — in geometry

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