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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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: patient · lie · club · stand · march · wound · roll · ground

  1. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  2. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  3. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  4. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  5. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  6. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  7. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  8. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  9. I can't ________________ this cold.
  10. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  11. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  12. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  13. There's no middle ________________.
  14. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  15. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  16. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  17. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  18. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  19. We're on a ________________ here.
  20. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  21. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  22. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  23. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  24. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.

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

Answer key

  1. stand — on your feet
  2. lie — to recline
  3. patient — a sick person
  4. stand — for spectators
  5. club — for golf
  6. lie — an untruth
  7. wound — past of 'wind'
  8. club — for dancing
  9. stand — to bear
  10. ground — the earth
  11. patient — calm and waiting
  12. ground — crushed
  13. ground — a position
  14. wound — an injury
  15. march — the month
  16. patient — a sick person
  17. roll — a cake
  18. wound — an injury
  19. roll — on a roll
  20. march — music
  21. roll — a list
  22. march — the month
  23. lie — an untruth
  24. club — a group

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