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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 120 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: spell · hand · deal · land · stand · clip · can · patient

  1. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  2. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  3. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  4. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  5. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  6. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  7. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  8. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  9. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  10. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  11. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  12. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  13. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  14. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  15. How do you ________________ your surname?
  16. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  17. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  18. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  19. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  20. When are we going to ________________?
  21. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  22. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  23. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  24. I can't ________________ this cold.

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

Answer key

  1. patient — a sick person
  2. stand — on your feet
  3. can — a tin
  4. deal — an agreement
  5. clip — to cut
  6. can — to be able to
  7. patient — a sick person
  8. land — a country
  9. can — a tin
  10. spell — a short time
  11. hand — help
  12. deal — a big deal
  13. deal — to handle
  14. hand — part of the body
  15. spell — letters
  16. stand — for spectators
  17. spell — magic
  18. clip — a video
  19. patient — calm and waiting
  20. land — to come down
  21. land — ground
  22. hand — in cards
  23. clip — for paper
  24. stand — to bear

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