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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.

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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: spell · wax · hide · staff · key · patient · bat · land

  1. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  2. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  3. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  4. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  5. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  6. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  7. When are we going to ________________?
  8. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  9. How do you ________________ your surname?
  10. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  11. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  12. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  13. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  14. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  15. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  16. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  17. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  18. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  19. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  20. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  21. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  22. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  23. This piece is in a major ________________.
  24. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.

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

Answer key

  1. spell — a short time
  2. hide — to keep secret
  3. staff — a stick
  4. land — ground
  5. patient — calm and waiting
  6. spell — magic
  7. land — to come down
  8. bat — in an idiom
  9. spell — letters
  10. hide — animal skin
  11. wax — for sculpting
  12. patient — a sick person
  13. wax — in the ear
  14. key — for a lock
  15. staff — employees
  16. bat — the animal
  17. land — a country
  18. bat — for baseball
  19. wax — to grow
  20. hide — to keep secret
  21. patient — a sick person
  22. key — the most important part
  23. key — in music
  24. staff — employees

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