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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: cell · cold · ball · mate · saw · wave · scale · patient

  1. The King held a masked ________________.
  2. He works in a ________________ mill.
  3. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  4. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  5. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  6. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  7. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  8. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  9. Have you found your soul ________________?
  10. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  11. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  12. The water is too ________________.
  13. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  14. She's very handy with a ________________.
  15. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  16. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  17. He was locked up in a ________________.
  18. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  19. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  20. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  21. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  22. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  23. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  24. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.

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

Answer key

  1. ball — a dance
  2. saw — the tool
  3. cold — an illness
  4. patient — a sick person
  5. saw — past of 'see'
  6. ball — a round shape
  7. scale — size or range
  8. scale — for weighing
  9. mate — a partner
  10. cell — a phone
  11. patient — a sick person
  12. cold — not warm
  13. mate — to breed
  14. saw — the tool
  15. wave — of the sea
  16. scale — in music
  17. cell — in a prison
  18. patient — calm and waiting
  19. mate — a friend
  20. wave — a sudden rise
  21. cold — the Cold War
  22. cell — in biology
  23. wave — with your hand
  24. ball — a great time

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