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

Word bank: cold · foot · root · stand · ball · jam · bay · patient

  1. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  2. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  3. My mare is ________________ in color.
  4. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  5. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  6. The water is too ________________.
  7. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  8. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  9. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  10. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  11. I can't ________________ this cold.
  12. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  13. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  14. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  15. The King held a masked ________________.
  16. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  17. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  18. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  19. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  20. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  21. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  22. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  23. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  24. Tom got himself in a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. patient — calm and waiting
  2. foot — the bottom
  3. bay — a horse colour
  4. patient — a sick person
  5. stand — on your feet
  6. cold — not warm
  7. bay — a part of the sea
  8. root — of a plant
  9. foot — a measure
  10. cold — the Cold War
  11. stand — to bear
  12. patient — a sick person
  13. cold — an illness
  14. jam — to spread on bread
  15. ball — a dance
  16. root — the cause
  17. bay — to keep at bay
  18. jam — in traffic
  19. root — of a word
  20. foot — part of the body
  21. ball — a great time
  22. stand — for spectators
  23. ball — a round shape
  24. jam — a tight spot

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