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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. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  2. Have you met the new head ________________?
  3. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  4. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  5. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  6. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  7. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  8. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  9. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  10. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  11. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  12. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  13. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  14. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  15. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  16. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  17. There's no middle ________________.
  18. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  19. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  20. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  21. When are we going to ________________?
  22. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  23. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  24. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.

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

Answer key

  1. land — ground
  2. coach — a trainer
  3. ground — crushed
  4. firm — a company
  5. craft — a skill
  6. firm — decided
  7. ground — the earth
  8. patient — calm and waiting
  9. wound — an injury
  10. patient — a sick person
  11. wound — past of 'wind'
  12. craft — a handicraft
  13. craft — boats
  14. calf — a young animal
  15. calf — of the leg
  16. wound — an injury
  17. ground — a position
  18. land — a country
  19. patient — a sick person
  20. coach — pulled by horses
  21. land — to come down
  22. coach — a trainer
  23. calf — a young animal
  24. firm — steady

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