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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 120 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: foot · wake · hand · spell · fine · patient · tear · can

  1. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  2. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  3. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  4. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  5. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  6. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  7. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  8. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  9. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  10. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  11. How do you ________________ your surname?
  12. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  13. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  14. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  15. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  16. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  17. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  18. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  19. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  20. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  21. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  22. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  23. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  24. Do you need a ________________ with that?

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

Answer key

  1. fine — high quality
  2. fine — a penalty
  3. patient — a sick person
  4. spell — magic
  5. can — a tin
  6. wake — to stop sleeping
  7. fine — all right
  8. spell — a short time
  9. patient — a sick person
  10. tear — from crying
  11. spell — letters
  12. wake — before a funeral
  13. foot — a measure
  14. can — a tin
  15. can — to be able to
  16. foot — part of the body
  17. patient — calm and waiting
  18. tear — from crying
  19. tear — to rip
  20. wake — a trail
  21. hand — part of the body
  22. hand — in cards
  23. foot — the bottom
  24. hand — help

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