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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
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: bowl · stand · kid · patient · fan · spell · rash · chair

  1. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  2. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  3. How do you ________________ your surname?
  4. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  5. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  6. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  7. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  8. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  9. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  10. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  11. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  12. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  13. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  14. I can't ________________ this cold.
  15. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  16. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  17. Don't do anything ________________.
  18. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  19. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  20. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  21. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  22. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  23. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  24. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.

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

Answer key

  1. bowl — to roll
  2. bowl — a football final
  3. spell — letters
  4. spell — magic
  5. stand — for spectators
  6. kid — child
  7. stand — on your feet
  8. patient — a sick person
  9. fan — a supporter
  10. fan — to cool the air
  11. bowl — a dish
  12. rash — on the skin
  13. patient — a sick person
  14. stand — to bear
  15. spell — a short time
  16. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  17. rash — hasty
  18. chair — a leader
  19. chair — a professorship
  20. patient — calm and waiting
  21. kid — to tease
  22. chair — to sit on
  23. rash — a series
  24. fan — a supporter

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