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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: rest · ball · patient · craft · mark · game · lean · spell

  1. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  2. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  3. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  4. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  5. How do you ________________ your surname?
  6. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  7. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  8. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  9. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  10. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  11. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  12. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  13. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  14. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  15. The King held a masked ________________.
  16. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  17. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  18. That was a fun ________________.
  19. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  20. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  21. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  22. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  23. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  24. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.

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

Answer key

  1. lean — thin
  2. craft — a skill
  3. lean — to bend
  4. mark — a grade
  5. spell — letters
  6. spell — a short time
  7. rest — a break
  8. mark — a trace
  9. mark — to pay attention
  10. rest — what's left
  11. game — wild animals
  12. game — a kind of play
  13. patient — a sick person
  14. lean — to rest against
  15. ball — a dance
  16. ball — a great time
  17. ball — a round shape
  18. game — a match
  19. patient — calm and waiting
  20. craft — a handicraft
  21. patient — a sick person
  22. craft — boats
  23. spell — magic
  24. rest — what's left

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