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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
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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: ball · fan · rash · patient · key · spell · cap · tear

  1. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  2. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  3. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  4. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  5. This piece is in a major ________________.
  6. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  7. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  8. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  9. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  10. Don't do anything ________________.
  11. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  12. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  13. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  14. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  15. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  16. The King held a masked ________________.
  17. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  18. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  19. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  20. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  21. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  22. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  23. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  24. How do you ________________ your surname?

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

Answer key

  1. tear — from crying
  2. rash — a series
  3. key — the most important part
  4. cap — a hat
  5. key — in music
  6. cap — a lid
  7. key — for a lock
  8. ball — a round shape
  9. spell — a short time
  10. rash — hasty
  11. ball — a great time
  12. patient — a sick person
  13. patient — calm and waiting
  14. cap — of ice
  15. fan — a supporter
  16. ball — a dance
  17. rash — on the skin
  18. tear — to rip
  19. spell — magic
  20. tear — from crying
  21. patient — a sick person
  22. fan — a supporter
  23. fan — to cool the air
  24. spell — letters

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