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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: patient · spell · mine · bowl · deal · rest · board · row

  1. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  2. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  3. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  4. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  5. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  6. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  7. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  8. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  9. How do you ________________ your surname?
  10. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  11. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  12. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  13. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  14. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  15. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  16. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  17. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  18. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  19. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  20. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  21. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  22. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  23. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  24. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.

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

Answer key

  1. deal — to handle
  2. rest — what's left
  3. board — a flat piece
  4. rest — what's left
  5. bowl — a football final
  6. spell — magic
  7. mine — an explosive
  8. mine — for digging
  9. spell — letters
  10. deal — a big deal
  11. rest — a break
  12. spell — a short time
  13. patient — a sick person
  14. bowl — a dish
  15. board — a committee
  16. bowl — to roll
  17. row — a quarrel
  18. patient — a sick person
  19. board — to get on
  20. deal — an agreement
  21. patient — calm and waiting
  22. mine — belonging to me
  23. row — to paddle
  24. row — a line

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