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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: bowl · patient · perch · wax · spell · season · deal · fork

  1. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  2. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  3. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  4. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  5. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  6. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  7. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  8. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  9. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  10. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  11. Did you ________________ the meat?
  12. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  13. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  14. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  15. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  16. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  17. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  18. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  19. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  20. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  21. How do you ________________ your surname?
  22. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  23. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  24. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bowl — a dish
  2. perch — the fish
  3. deal — to handle
  4. season — in sport
  5. patient — calm and waiting
  6. bowl — to roll
  7. fork — to eat with
  8. perch — for a bird
  9. fork — in a road
  10. patient — a sick person
  11. season — to add flavour
  12. perch — for a bird
  13. season — of the year
  14. wax — to grow
  15. wax — for sculpting
  16. deal — a big deal
  17. patient — a sick person
  18. bowl — a football final
  19. deal — an agreement
  20. spell — a short time
  21. spell — letters
  22. fork — a garden tool
  23. wax — in the ear
  24. spell — magic

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