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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: game · wake · bowl · key · plane · can · hand · patient

  1. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  2. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  3. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  4. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  5. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  6. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  7. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  8. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  9. This piece is in a major ________________.
  10. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  11. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  12. The ________________ took off on time.
  13. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  14. That was a fun ________________.
  15. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  16. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  17. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  18. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  19. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  20. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  21. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  22. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  23. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  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. bowl — to roll
  2. hand — in cards
  3. plane — a tool
  4. bowl — a dish
  5. patient — a sick person
  6. game — a kind of play
  7. game — wild animals
  8. bowl — a football final
  9. key — in music
  10. key — the most important part
  11. wake — a trail
  12. plane — an aircraft
  13. can — a tin
  14. game — a match
  15. key — for a lock
  16. can — to be able to
  17. hand — help
  18. wake — to stop sleeping
  19. wake — before a funeral
  20. plane — in geometry
  21. can — a tin
  22. patient — calm and waiting
  23. patient — a sick person
  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