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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: patient · fan · bat · plane · spell · ground · bank · season

  1. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  2. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  3. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  4. How do you ________________ your surname?
  5. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  6. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  7. Did you ________________ the meat?
  8. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  9. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  10. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  11. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  12. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  13. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  14. There's no middle ________________.
  15. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  16. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  17. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  18. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  19. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  20. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  21. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  22. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  23. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  24. The ________________ took off on time.

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

Answer key

  1. bank — for money
  2. ground — crushed
  3. spell — magic
  4. spell — letters
  5. fan — a supporter
  6. fan — to cool the air
  7. season — to add flavour
  8. patient — a sick person
  9. fan — a supporter
  10. patient — a sick person
  11. season — in sport
  12. bank — for money
  13. bat — for baseball
  14. ground — a position
  15. ground — the earth
  16. spell — a short time
  17. plane — in geometry
  18. season — of the year
  19. bank — of a river
  20. bat — the animal
  21. bat — in an idiom
  22. patient — calm and waiting
  23. plane — a tool
  24. plane — an aircraft

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