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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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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 · ground · wax · mouse · patient · game · spell · mug

  1. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  2. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  3. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  4. That was a fun ________________.
  5. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  6. There's no middle ________________.
  7. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  8. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  9. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  10. Where did you ________________ them?
  11. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  12. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  13. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  14. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  15. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  16. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  17. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  18. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  19. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  20. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  21. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  22. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  23. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  24. How do you ________________ your surname?

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

Answer key

  1. game — a kind of play
  2. wax — for sculpting
  3. patient — a sick person
  4. game — a match
  5. mug — a cup
  6. ground — a position
  7. kick — a thrill
  8. patient — a sick person
  9. spell — magic
  10. mug — to rob
  11. mouse — the animal
  12. mug — a face
  13. kick — with a leg
  14. patient — calm and waiting
  15. wax — to grow
  16. mouse — for a computer
  17. wax — in the ear
  18. kick — in football
  19. mouse — the animal
  20. ground — crushed
  21. ground — the earth
  22. game — wild animals
  23. spell — a short time
  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