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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 ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  2. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  3. We're on a ________________ here.
  4. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  5. When are we going to ________________?
  6. There's no middle ________________.
  7. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  8. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  9. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  10. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  11. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  12. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  13. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  14. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  15. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  16. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  17. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  18. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  19. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  20. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  21. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  22. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  23. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  24. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. patient — a sick person
  2. stick — a piece of wood
  3. roll — on a roll
  4. wound — an injury
  5. land — to come down
  6. ground — a position
  7. roll — a list
  8. wound — an injury
  9. ground — crushed
  10. kick — a thrill
  11. kick — in football
  12. roll — a cake
  13. lie — to recline
  14. lie — an untruth
  15. stick — a piece of wood
  16. kick — with a leg
  17. lie — an untruth
  18. stick — to attach or keep to
  19. ground — the earth
  20. patient — calm and waiting
  21. land — ground
  22. wound — past of 'wind'
  23. land — a country
  24. patient — a sick person

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