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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: drill · craft · land · patient · mine · sharp · mug · face

  1. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  2. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  3. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  4. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  5. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  6. When are we going to ________________?
  7. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  8. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  9. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  10. It's one o'clock ________________.
  11. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  12. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  13. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  14. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  15. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  16. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  17. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  18. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  19. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  20. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  21. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  22. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  23. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  24. Where did you ________________ them?

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

Answer key

  1. patient — calm and waiting
  2. face — to point toward
  3. mug — a cup
  4. face — to confront
  5. mine — belonging to me
  6. land — to come down
  7. mine — an explosive
  8. craft — a skill
  9. land — ground
  10. sharp — exactly
  11. craft — boats
  12. land — a country
  13. craft — a handicraft
  14. patient — a sick person
  15. patient — a sick person
  16. mug — a face
  17. drill — army training
  18. drill — the tool
  19. sharp — with an edge
  20. drill — a practice
  21. sharp — clever
  22. face — part of the head
  23. mine — for digging
  24. mug — to rob

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