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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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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: patient · mate · root · spell · sharp · saw · board · object

  1. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  2. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  3. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  4. How do you ________________ your surname?
  5. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  6. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  7. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  8. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  9. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  10. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  11. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  12. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  13. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  14. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  15. She's very handy with a ________________.
  16. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  17. He works in a ________________ mill.
  18. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  19. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  20. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  21. It's one o'clock ________________.
  22. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  23. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  24. Have you found your soul ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. board — a flat piece
  2. patient — a sick person
  3. patient — calm and waiting
  4. spell — letters
  5. sharp — clever
  6. saw — past of 'see'
  7. object — to protest
  8. root — of a plant
  9. board — to get on
  10. root — the cause
  11. spell — magic
  12. object — an aim
  13. board — a committee
  14. sharp — with an edge
  15. saw — the tool
  16. mate — to breed
  17. saw — the tool
  18. patient — a sick person
  19. spell — a short time
  20. mate — a friend
  21. sharp — exactly
  22. root — of a word
  23. object — a thing
  24. mate — a partner

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