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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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Word bank
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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: toast · drill · clip · pitch · craft · lean · patient · ground

  1. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  2. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  3. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  4. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  5. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  6. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  7. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  8. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  9. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  10. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  11. There's no middle ________________.
  12. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  13. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  14. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  15. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  16. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  17. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  18. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  19. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  20. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  21. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  22. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  23. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  24. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. craft — boats
  2. lean — to rest against
  3. drill — a practice
  4. patient — a sick person
  5. craft — a skill
  6. clip — to cut
  7. toast — the most admired
  8. drill — the tool
  9. patient — calm and waiting
  10. ground — the earth
  11. ground — a position
  12. pitch — a sales talk
  13. toast — bread
  14. patient — a sick person
  15. lean — to bend
  16. toast — a drink to someone
  17. drill — army training
  18. pitch — completely
  19. pitch — a sports field
  20. clip — for paper
  21. craft — a handicraft
  22. lean — thin
  23. ground — crushed
  24. clip — a video

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