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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: ball · deal · hand · pop · safe · patient · mine · wake

  1. The King held a masked ________________.
  2. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  3. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  4. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  5. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  6. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  7. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  8. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  9. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  10. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  11. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  12. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  13. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  14. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  15. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  16. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  17. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  18. We're almost out of ________________.
  19. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  20. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  21. You don't need to ________________ round.
  22. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  23. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  24. She's sitting on a gold ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. ball — a dance
  2. deal — a big deal
  3. wake — before a funeral
  4. safe — out of danger
  5. patient — calm and waiting
  6. mine — belonging to me
  7. pop — music
  8. deal — an agreement
  9. safe — a strongbox
  10. safe — out of danger
  11. ball — a round shape
  12. hand — in cards
  13. wake — to stop sleeping
  14. hand — part of the body
  15. deal — to handle
  16. patient — a sick person
  17. patient — a sick person
  18. pop — soda
  19. ball — a great time
  20. wake — a trail
  21. pop — to visit
  22. mine — an explosive
  23. hand — help
  24. mine — for digging

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