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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 116 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: bat · sharp · patient · bowl · safe · spell · hand · spring

  1. How do you ________________ your surname?
  2. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  3. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  4. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  5. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  6. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  7. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  8. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  9. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  10. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  11. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  12. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  13. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  14. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  15. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  16. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  17. It's one o'clock ________________.
  18. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  19. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  20. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  21. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  22. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  23. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  24. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.

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

Answer key

  1. spell — letters
  2. spring — of water
  3. spring — the season
  4. bowl — a football final
  5. sharp — clever
  6. bat — the animal
  7. patient — a sick person
  8. hand — help
  9. safe — out of danger
  10. hand — in cards
  11. safe — a strongbox
  12. spell — magic
  13. patient — calm and waiting
  14. spring — a coil
  15. bat — for baseball
  16. patient — a sick person
  17. sharp — exactly
  18. sharp — with an edge
  19. bat — in an idiom
  20. bowl — a dish
  21. bowl — to roll
  22. hand — part of the body
  23. safe — out of danger
  24. spell — a short time

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