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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.

Words on the sheet
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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: wave · drill · spell · wake · hand · mine · root · patient

  1. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  2. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  3. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  4. How do you ________________ your surname?
  5. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  6. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  7. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  8. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  9. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  10. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  11. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  12. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  13. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  14. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  15. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  16. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  17. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  18. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  19. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  20. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  21. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  22. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  23. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  24. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. spell — a short time
  2. wake — a trail
  3. drill — a practice
  4. spell — letters
  5. root — the cause
  6. patient — calm and waiting
  7. hand — help
  8. mine — for digging
  9. spell — magic
  10. wave — a sudden rise
  11. root — of a word
  12. drill — army training
  13. mine — belonging to me
  14. hand — part of the body
  15. patient — a sick person
  16. wake — to stop sleeping
  17. wave — of the sea
  18. wake — before a funeral
  19. hand — in cards
  20. wave — with your hand
  21. mine — an explosive
  22. root — of a plant
  23. drill — the tool
  24. patient — a sick person

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