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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: spell · patient · shower · cabinet · last · bat · craft · board

  1. How do you ________________ your surname?
  2. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  3. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  4. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  5. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  6. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  7. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  8. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  9. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  10. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  11. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  12. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  13. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  14. What do you think of the new ________________?
  15. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  16. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  17. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  18. False peace will not ________________.
  19. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  20. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  21. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  22. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  23. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  24. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.

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

Answer key

  1. spell — letters
  2. board — a committee
  3. shower — a meteor shower
  4. patient — calm and waiting
  5. board — a flat piece
  6. craft — boats
  7. last — final
  8. bat — the animal
  9. craft — a skill
  10. board — to get on
  11. bat — for baseball
  12. bat — in an idiom
  13. shower — to wash
  14. cabinet — ministers
  15. cabinet — ministers
  16. shower — rain
  17. spell — magic
  18. last — to go on
  19. craft — a handicraft
  20. cabinet — a cupboard
  21. patient — a sick person
  22. spell — a short time
  23. last — finally
  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