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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: bowl · ground · clip · ball · patient · drill · wave · board

  1. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  2. The King held a masked ________________.
  3. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  4. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  5. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  6. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  7. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  8. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  9. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  10. There's no middle ________________.
  11. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  12. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  13. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  14. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  15. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  16. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  17. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  18. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  19. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  20. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  21. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  22. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  23. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  24. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.

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

Answer key

  1. bowl — to roll
  2. ball — a dance
  3. drill — a practice
  4. ground — crushed
  5. clip — for paper
  6. ball — a round shape
  7. wave — a sudden rise
  8. bowl — a dish
  9. bowl — a football final
  10. ground — a position
  11. wave — with your hand
  12. patient — calm and waiting
  13. ball — a great time
  14. patient — a sick person
  15. drill — the tool
  16. clip — a video
  17. wave — of the sea
  18. ground — the earth
  19. clip — to cut
  20. drill — army training
  21. board — a committee
  22. patient — a sick person
  23. board — a flat piece
  24. board — to get on

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