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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
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: key · game · patient · hand · rash · object · tear · bowl

  1. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  2. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  3. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  4. This piece is in a major ________________.
  5. That was a fun ________________.
  6. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  7. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  8. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  9. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  10. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  11. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  12. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  13. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  14. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  15. Don't do anything ________________.
  16. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  17. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  18. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  19. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  20. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  21. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  22. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  23. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  24. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.

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

Answer key

  1. tear — from crying
  2. object — a thing
  3. patient — calm and waiting
  4. key — in music
  5. game — a match
  6. object — an aim
  7. tear — from crying
  8. bowl — a football final
  9. rash — on the skin
  10. object — to protest
  11. patient — a sick person
  12. hand — in cards
  13. tear — to rip
  14. hand — help
  15. rash — hasty
  16. bowl — to roll
  17. game — a kind of play
  18. key — for a lock
  19. bowl — a dish
  20. hand — part of the body
  21. key — the most important part
  22. game — wild animals
  23. patient — a sick person
  24. rash — a series

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