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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: wind · coach · patient · fine · ground · deal · hand · stem

  1. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  2. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  3. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  4. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  5. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  6. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  7. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  8. There's no middle ________________.
  9. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  10. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  11. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  12. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  13. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  14. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  15. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  16. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  17. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  18. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  19. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  20. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  21. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  22. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  23. Have you met the new head ________________?
  24. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.

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

Answer key

  1. ground — the earth
  2. patient — a sick person
  3. wind — moving air
  4. fine — high quality
  5. stem — to come from
  6. hand — help
  7. deal — an agreement
  8. ground — a position
  9. coach — pulled by horses
  10. ground — crushed
  11. coach — a trainer
  12. fine — a penalty
  13. hand — part of the body
  14. stem — a stem cell
  15. patient — calm and waiting
  16. fine — all right
  17. hand — in cards
  18. deal — to handle
  19. deal — a big deal
  20. stem — of a plant
  21. patient — a sick person
  22. wind — moving air
  23. coach — a trainer
  24. wind — to turn a key

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