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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: dip · club · sharp · patient · last · band · craft · land

  1. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  2. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  3. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  4. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  5. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  6. When are we going to ________________?
  7. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  8. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  9. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  10. False peace will not ________________.
  11. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  12. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  13. It's one o'clock ________________.
  14. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  15. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  16. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  17. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  18. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  19. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  20. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  21. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  22. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  23. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  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. sharp — clever
  2. last — finally
  3. band — a music group
  4. patient — calm and waiting
  5. sharp — with an edge
  6. land — to come down
  7. club — a group
  8. land — a country
  9. band — a rubber band
  10. last — to go on
  11. band — a ring
  12. dip — a sauce
  13. sharp — exactly
  14. patient — a sick person
  15. craft — boats
  16. dip — to sink
  17. craft — a skill
  18. land — ground
  19. last — final
  20. club — for golf
  21. dip — to dunk
  22. craft — a handicraft
  23. club — for dancing
  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