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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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: wind · ball · face · spell · patient · rock · season · content

  1. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  2. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  3. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  4. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  5. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  6. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  7. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  8. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  9. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  10. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  11. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  12. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  13. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  14. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  15. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  16. The King held a masked ________________.
  17. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  18. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  19. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  20. How do you ________________ your surname?
  21. Did you ________________ the meat?
  22. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  23. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  24. The kitten curled into a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. rock — a stone
  2. rock — music
  3. rock — to move gently
  4. patient — a sick person
  5. season — of the year
  6. spell — magic
  7. wind — moving air
  8. wind — to turn a key
  9. patient — a sick person
  10. face — part of the head
  11. content — the amount
  12. wind — moving air
  13. face — to confront
  14. patient — calm and waiting
  15. season — in sport
  16. ball — a dance
  17. content — happy
  18. ball — a great time
  19. face — to point toward
  20. spell — letters
  21. season — to add flavour
  22. spell — a short time
  23. content — videos and posts
  24. ball — a round shape

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