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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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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: staff · shower · net · patient · firm · ground · roll · board

  1. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  2. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  3. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  4. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  5. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  6. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  7. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  8. There's no middle ________________.
  9. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  10. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  11. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  12. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  13. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  14. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  15. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  16. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  17. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  18. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  19. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  20. We're on a ________________ here.
  21. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  22. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  23. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  24. The old man leaned on his ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. staff — employees
  2. firm — a company
  3. board — to get on
  4. shower — a meteor shower
  5. firm — decided
  6. roll — a cake
  7. firm — steady
  8. ground — a position
  9. patient — a sick person
  10. roll — a list
  11. board — a flat piece
  12. shower — to wash
  13. board — a committee
  14. staff — employees
  15. ground — crushed
  16. patient — a sick person
  17. net — in sport
  18. net — after costs
  19. net — for catching
  20. roll — on a roll
  21. patient — calm and waiting
  22. ground — the earth
  23. shower — rain
  24. staff — a stick

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