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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: wake · patient · racket · dip · cap · cell · calf · spell

  1. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  2. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  3. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  4. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  5. How do you ________________ your surname?
  6. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  7. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  8. He was locked up in a ________________.
  9. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  10. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  11. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  12. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  13. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  14. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  15. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  16. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  17. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  18. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  19. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  20. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  21. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  22. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  23. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  24. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. cap — a hat
  2. wake — to stop sleeping
  3. wake — a trail
  4. cell — a phone
  5. spell — letters
  6. cap — of ice
  7. racket — a loud noise
  8. cell — in a prison
  9. dip — to dunk
  10. patient — a sick person
  11. patient — calm and waiting
  12. cell — in biology
  13. racket — for tennis
  14. cap — a lid
  15. spell — magic
  16. dip — a sauce
  17. calf — a young animal
  18. wake — before a funeral
  19. spell — a short time
  20. calf — of the leg
  21. racket — for tennis
  22. dip — to sink
  23. calf — a young animal
  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