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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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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: arm · ball · wake · patient · wind · bowl · foot · cell

  1. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  2. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  3. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  4. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  5. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  6. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  7. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  8. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  9. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  10. The King held a masked ________________.
  11. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  12. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  13. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  14. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  15. He was locked up in a ________________.
  16. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  17. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  18. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  19. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  20. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  21. My father caught me by the ________________.
  22. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  23. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  24. I have a corn on my right ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. ball — a round shape
  2. wind — moving air
  3. wind — moving air
  4. arm — a part of something
  5. wake — before a funeral
  6. wind — to turn a key
  7. arm — part of the body
  8. foot — a measure
  9. bowl — a football final
  10. ball — a dance
  11. bowl — a dish
  12. wake — to stop sleeping
  13. ball — a great time
  14. patient — calm and waiting
  15. cell — in a prison
  16. foot — the bottom
  17. wake — a trail
  18. cell — in biology
  19. patient — a sick person
  20. cell — a phone
  21. arm — part of the body
  22. bowl — to roll
  23. patient — a sick person
  24. foot — part of the body

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