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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 in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  2. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  3. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  4. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  5. When are we going to ________________?
  6. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  7. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  8. False peace will not ________________.
  9. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  10. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  11. When was this ________________ built?
  12. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  13. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  14. There's no middle ________________.
  15. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  16. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  17. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  18. How do you ________________ your surname?
  19. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  20. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  21. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  22. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  23. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  24. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. patient — calm and waiting
  2. land — ground
  3. spell — a short time
  4. foot — a measure
  5. land — to come down
  6. foot — part of the body
  7. land — a country
  8. last — to go on
  9. foot — the bottom
  10. ground — crushed
  11. temple — a place of worship
  12. last — final
  13. bank — for money
  14. ground — a position
  15. last — finally
  16. bank — for money
  17. patient — a sick person
  18. spell — letters
  19. ground — the earth
  20. temple — side of the head
  21. temple — a place of worship
  22. bank — of a river
  23. patient — a sick person
  24. spell — magic

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