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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: ground · spell · present · patient · rash · fall · roll · game

  1. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  2. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  3. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  4. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  5. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  6. Don't do anything ________________.
  7. That was a fun ________________.
  8. We're on a ________________ here.
  9. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  10. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  11. How do you ________________ your surname?
  12. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  13. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  14. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  15. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  16. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  17. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  18. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  19. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  20. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  21. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  22. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  23. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  24. There's no middle ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. roll — a list
  2. fall — to drop
  3. game — wild animals
  4. fall — the season
  5. present — there
  6. rash — hasty
  7. game — a match
  8. roll — on a roll
  9. ground — the earth
  10. rash — on the skin
  11. spell — letters
  12. rash — a series
  13. present — a gift
  14. patient — calm and waiting
  15. present — the time now
  16. patient — a sick person
  17. roll — a cake
  18. spell — magic
  19. patient — a sick person
  20. fall — to drop
  21. game — a kind of play
  22. spell — a short time
  23. ground — crushed
  24. ground — a position

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