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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
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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: land · patient · drill · bay · field · key · sharp · plane

  1. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  2. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  3. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  4. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  5. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  6. When are we going to ________________?
  7. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  8. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  9. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  10. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  11. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  12. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  13. It's one o'clock ________________.
  14. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  15. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  16. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  17. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  18. The ________________ took off on time.
  19. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  20. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  21. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  22. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  23. This piece is in a major ________________.
  24. My mare is ________________ in color.

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

Answer key

  1. sharp — clever
  2. land — ground
  3. drill — a practice
  4. sharp — with an edge
  5. bay — to keep at bay
  6. land — to come down
  7. patient — a sick person
  8. plane — in geometry
  9. land — a country
  10. field — a subject
  11. key — the most important part
  12. plane — a tool
  13. sharp — exactly
  14. bay — a part of the sea
  15. field — farmland
  16. drill — army training
  17. patient — calm and waiting
  18. plane — an aircraft
  19. patient — a sick person
  20. field — for sport
  21. key — for a lock
  22. drill — the tool
  23. key — in music
  24. bay — a horse colour

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