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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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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: rest · spell · bowl · kid · kick · bear · degree · patient

  1. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  2. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  3. How do you ________________ your surname?
  4. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  5. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  6. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  7. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  8. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  9. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  10. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  11. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  12. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  13. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  14. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  15. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  16. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  17. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  18. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  19. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  20. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  21. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  22. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  23. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  24. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.

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

Answer key

  1. spell — magic
  2. spell — a short time
  3. spell — letters
  4. kick — in football
  5. bear — the animal
  6. degree — an amount
  7. rest — what's left
  8. bear — to put up with
  9. kick — a thrill
  10. bowl — a dish
  11. degree — temperature
  12. kick — with a leg
  13. degree — from a university
  14. bowl — to roll
  15. bear — the animal
  16. kid — to tease
  17. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  18. kid — child
  19. rest — what's left
  20. patient — calm and waiting
  21. rest — a break
  22. patient — a sick person
  23. patient — a sick person
  24. bowl — a football final

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