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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.

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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: wind · patient · roll · cap · rest · ball · scale · nail

  1. The King held a masked ________________.
  2. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  3. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  4. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  5. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  6. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  7. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  8. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  9. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  10. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  11. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  12. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  13. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  14. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  15. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  16. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  17. We're on a ________________ here.
  18. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  19. The ________________ went through the wall.
  20. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  21. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  22. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  23. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  24. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.

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

Answer key

  1. ball — a dance
  2. cap — a hat
  3. wind — moving air
  4. roll — a cake
  5. scale — in music
  6. rest — what's left
  7. wind — to turn a key
  8. wind — moving air
  9. nail — on a finger
  10. roll — a list
  11. scale — size or range
  12. rest — what's left
  13. rest — a break
  14. ball — a round shape
  15. cap — of ice
  16. patient — a sick person
  17. roll — on a roll
  18. cap — a lid
  19. nail — for a hammer
  20. nail — for a hammer
  21. ball — a great time
  22. patient — a sick person
  23. patient — calm and waiting
  24. scale — for weighing

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