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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. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  2. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  3. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  4. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  5. That was ________________ to happen.
  6. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  7. There's no middle ________________.
  8. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  9. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  10. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  11. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  12. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  13. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  14. The ________________ market has crashed.
  15. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  16. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  17. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  18. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  19. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  20. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  21. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  22. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  23. When are we going to ________________?
  24. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.

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

Answer key

  1. patient — a sick person
  2. land — ground
  3. chip — to eat
  4. patient — calm and waiting
  5. bound — certain
  6. wake — to stop sleeping
  7. ground — a position
  8. wake — a trail
  9. chip — for betting
  10. land — a country
  11. chip — in a computer
  12. patient — a sick person
  13. fork — a garden tool
  14. stock — shares
  15. wake — before a funeral
  16. ground — crushed
  17. stock — a soup base
  18. bound — obliged
  19. fork — in a road
  20. ground — the earth
  21. stock — goods
  22. fork — to eat with
  23. land — to come down
  24. bound — tied together

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