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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 · saw · staff · patient · land · can · pitch · pop

  1. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  2. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  3. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  4. She's very handy with a ________________.
  5. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  6. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  7. How do you ________________ your surname?
  8. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  9. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  10. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  11. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  12. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  13. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  14. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  15. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  16. You don't need to ________________ round.
  17. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  18. When are we going to ________________?
  19. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  20. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  21. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  22. He works in a ________________ mill.
  23. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  24. We're almost out of ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. land — a country
  2. can — a tin
  3. pitch — a sales talk
  4. saw — the tool
  5. spell — magic
  6. patient — a sick person
  7. spell — letters
  8. spell — a short time
  9. pitch — completely
  10. land — ground
  11. patient — calm and waiting
  12. can — a tin
  13. staff — a stick
  14. pop — music
  15. staff — employees
  16. pop — to visit
  17. can — to be able to
  18. land — to come down
  19. saw — past of 'see'
  20. pitch — a sports field
  21. patient — a sick person
  22. saw — the tool
  23. staff — employees
  24. pop — soda

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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