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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: pop · fan · wound · mine · root · patient · cue · spell

  1. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  2. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  3. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  4. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  5. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  6. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  7. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  8. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  9. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  10. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  11. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  12. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  13. You don't need to ________________ round.
  14. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  15. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  16. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  17. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  18. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  19. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  20. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  21. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  22. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  23. How do you ________________ your surname?
  24. We're almost out of ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. spell — a short time
  2. fan — to cool the air
  3. mine — belonging to me
  4. fan — a supporter
  5. root — of a plant
  6. patient — a sick person
  7. cue — a hint
  8. cue — a signal
  9. wound — an injury
  10. wound — an injury
  11. mine — an explosive
  12. mine — for digging
  13. pop — to visit
  14. cue — for pool
  15. spell — magic
  16. wound — past of 'wind'
  17. patient — a sick person
  18. root — the cause
  19. pop — music
  20. root — of a word
  21. patient — calm and waiting
  22. fan — a supporter
  23. spell — letters
  24. pop — soda

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