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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.

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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: kick · spring · wake · bowl · nail · scale · patient · rash

  1. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  2. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  3. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  4. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  5. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  6. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  7. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  8. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  9. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  10. The ________________ went through the wall.
  11. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  12. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  13. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  14. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  15. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  16. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  17. Don't do anything ________________.
  18. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  19. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  20. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  21. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  22. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  23. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  24. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.

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

Answer key

  1. bowl — a dish
  2. bowl — a football final
  3. wake — to stop sleeping
  4. wake — before a funeral
  5. patient — calm and waiting
  6. wake — a trail
  7. bowl — to roll
  8. spring — of water
  9. scale — in music
  10. nail — for a hammer
  11. patient — a sick person
  12. scale — size or range
  13. kick — with a leg
  14. patient — a sick person
  15. spring — the season
  16. rash — a series
  17. rash — hasty
  18. kick — a thrill
  19. nail — for a hammer
  20. scale — for weighing
  21. nail — on a finger
  22. kick — in football
  23. rash — on the skin
  24. spring — a coil

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