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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: craft · patient · pitcher · cap · root · ground · firm · hand

  1. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  2. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  3. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  4. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  5. There's no middle ________________.
  6. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  7. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  8. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  9. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  10. He is an ace ________________.
  11. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  12. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  13. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  14. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  15. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  16. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  17. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  18. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  19. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  20. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  21. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  22. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  23. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  24. Do you need a ________________ with that?

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

Answer key

  1. cap — a hat
  2. craft — boats
  3. firm — steady
  4. firm — decided
  5. ground — a position
  6. craft — a skill
  7. patient — calm and waiting
  8. patient — a sick person
  9. pitcher — a jug
  10. pitcher — in baseball
  11. craft — a handicraft
  12. root — of a plant
  13. ground — crushed
  14. hand — in cards
  15. root — of a word
  16. hand — part of the body
  17. ground — the earth
  18. root — the cause
  19. firm — a company
  20. patient — a sick person
  21. cap — of ice
  22. pitcher — a jug
  23. cap — a lid
  24. hand — help

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