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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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 · band · field · snap · spring · dip · charge

  1. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  2. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  3. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  4. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  5. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  6. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  7. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  8. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  9. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  10. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  11. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  12. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  13. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  14. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  15. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  16. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  17. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  18. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  19. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  20. The tickets are free of ________________.
  21. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  22. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  23. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  24. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. dip — a sauce
  2. snap — to click
  3. spring — a coil
  4. band — a rubber band
  5. field — farmland
  6. bowl — to roll
  7. spring — of water
  8. dip — to dunk
  9. charge — in control
  10. field — for sport
  11. snap — to speak sharply
  12. bowl — a dish
  13. patient — a sick person
  14. field — a subject
  15. spring — the season
  16. patient — a sick person
  17. bowl — a football final
  18. patient — calm and waiting
  19. charge — electricity
  20. charge — a price
  21. dip — to sink
  22. snap — to snap out of it
  23. band — a music group
  24. band — a ring

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