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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: key · hand · rash · patient · track · calf · pass · spell

  1. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  2. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  3. How do you ________________ your surname?
  4. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  5. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  6. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  7. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  8. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  9. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  10. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  11. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  12. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  13. Don't do anything ________________.
  14. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  15. This piece is in a major ________________.
  16. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  17. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  18. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  19. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  20. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  21. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  22. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  23. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  24. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.

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

Answer key

  1. spell — magic
  2. spell — a short time
  3. spell — letters
  4. hand — in cards
  5. pass — a permit
  6. calf — a young animal
  7. track — to keep track
  8. track — a song
  9. track — a path
  10. key — for a lock
  11. calf — a young animal
  12. patient — a sick person
  13. rash — hasty
  14. key — the most important part
  15. key — in music
  16. pass — to succeed
  17. patient — calm and waiting
  18. rash — on the skin
  19. rash — a series
  20. calf — of the leg
  21. hand — help
  22. pass — to spend time
  23. hand — part of the body
  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