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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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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. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  2. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  3. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  4. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  5. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  6. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  7. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  8. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  9. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  10. She's very handy with a ________________.
  11. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  12. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  13. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  14. When are we going to ________________?
  15. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  16. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  17. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  18. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  19. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  20. He works in a ________________ mill.
  21. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  22. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  23. There's no middle ________________.
  24. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.

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

Answer key

  1. land — ground
  2. mine — an explosive
  3. craft — a skill
  4. saw — past of 'see'
  5. ground — the earth
  6. mine — belonging to me
  7. craft — boats
  8. vault — an arched ceiling
  9. ground — crushed
  10. saw — the tool
  11. patient — a sick person
  12. bass — the instrument
  13. land — a country
  14. land — to come down
  15. patient — a sick person
  16. vault — a safe
  17. patient — calm and waiting
  18. mine — for digging
  19. craft — a handicraft
  20. saw — the tool
  21. bass — the fish
  22. vault — in gymnastics
  23. ground — a position
  24. bass — low music

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