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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: spell · staff · wave · nail · hand · game · patient · stem

  1. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  2. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  3. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  4. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  5. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  6. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  7. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  8. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  9. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  10. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  11. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  12. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  13. The ________________ went through the wall.
  14. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  15. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  16. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  17. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  18. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  19. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  20. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  21. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  22. How do you ________________ your surname?
  23. That was a fun ________________.
  24. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. game — wild animals
  2. nail — on a finger
  3. stem — to come from
  4. wave — of the sea
  5. nail — for a hammer
  6. wave — with your hand
  7. spell — a short time
  8. game — a kind of play
  9. patient — a sick person
  10. patient — calm and waiting
  11. staff — a stick
  12. staff — employees
  13. nail — for a hammer
  14. stem — of a plant
  15. patient — a sick person
  16. stem — a stem cell
  17. hand — help
  18. wave — a sudden rise
  19. spell — magic
  20. staff — employees
  21. hand — in cards
  22. spell — letters
  23. game — a match
  24. hand — 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