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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: pitch · deal · arm · patient · wake · spell · cell · bore

  1. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  2. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  3. My father caught me by the ________________.
  4. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  5. How do you ________________ your surname?
  6. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  7. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  8. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  9. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  10. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  11. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  12. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  13. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  14. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  15. He was locked up in a ________________.
  16. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  17. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  18. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  19. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  20. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  21. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  22. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  23. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  24. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.

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

Answer key

  1. wake — to stop sleeping
  2. arm — a part of something
  3. arm — part of the body
  4. deal — a big deal
  5. spell — letters
  6. wake — a trail
  7. wake — before a funeral
  8. deal — an agreement
  9. cell — in biology
  10. patient — a sick person
  11. bore — to tire
  12. spell — a short time
  13. bore — to drill
  14. pitch — a sales talk
  15. cell — in a prison
  16. spell — magic
  17. pitch — completely
  18. arm — part of the body
  19. pitch — a sports field
  20. patient — a sick person
  21. deal — to handle
  22. cell — a phone
  23. bore — gave birth
  24. patient — calm and waiting

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