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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: ground · patient · bowl · spell · trunk · can · spring · cell

  1. There's no middle ________________.
  2. How do you ________________ your surname?
  3. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  4. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  5. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  6. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  7. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  8. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  9. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  10. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  11. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  12. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  13. He was locked up in a ________________.
  14. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  15. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  16. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  17. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  18. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  19. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  20. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  21. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  22. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  23. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  24. I've got the luggage in my ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. ground — a position
  2. spell — letters
  3. patient — a sick person
  4. trunk — of an elephant
  5. patient — a sick person
  6. spring — the season
  7. trunk — of a tree
  8. can — a tin
  9. can — a tin
  10. cell — in biology
  11. spell — a short time
  12. can — to be able to
  13. cell — in a prison
  14. spring — of water
  15. bowl — a football final
  16. spring — a coil
  17. ground — the earth
  18. bowl — a dish
  19. ground — crushed
  20. patient — calm and waiting
  21. spell — magic
  22. cell — a phone
  23. bowl — to roll
  24. trunk — of a car

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