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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 120 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: patient · pit · stick · track · ground · lie · spring · wave

  1. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  2. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  3. There's no middle ________________.
  4. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  5. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  6. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  7. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  8. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  9. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  10. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  11. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  12. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  13. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  14. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  15. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  16. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  17. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  18. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  19. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  20. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  21. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  22. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  23. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  24. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. track — to keep track
  2. wave — with your hand
  3. ground — a position
  4. lie — an untruth
  5. patient — a sick person
  6. lie — to recline
  7. ground — the earth
  8. stick — a piece of wood
  9. patient — calm and waiting
  10. patient — a sick person
  11. pit — in a race
  12. wave — a sudden rise
  13. spring — of water
  14. ground — crushed
  15. wave — of the sea
  16. track — a song
  17. stick — a piece of wood
  18. spring — a coil
  19. pit — a hole
  20. spring — the season
  21. lie — an untruth
  22. stick — to attach or keep to
  23. track — a path
  24. pit — a fruit stone

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