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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 120 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
468
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: scale · capital · mine · patient · fan · rash · spell · bowl

  1. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  2. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  3. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  4. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  5. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  6. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  7. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  8. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  9. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  10. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  11. Don't do anything ________________.
  12. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  13. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  14. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  15. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  16. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  17. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  18. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  19. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  20. How do you ________________ your surname?
  21. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  22. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  23. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  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. scale — for weighing
  2. capital — a big letter
  3. fan — a supporter
  4. scale — size or range
  5. mine — for digging
  6. mine — an explosive
  7. spell — magic
  8. capital — a city
  9. rash — on the skin
  10. capital — money
  11. rash — hasty
  12. fan — to cool the air
  13. patient — calm and waiting
  14. bowl — a football final
  15. scale — in music
  16. bowl — to roll
  17. rash — a series
  18. spell — a short time
  19. mine — belonging to me
  20. spell — letters
  21. bowl — a dish
  22. patient — a sick person
  23. fan — a supporter
  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