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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: craft · mate · hide · bound · land · game · patient · hand

  1. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  2. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  3. When are we going to ________________?
  4. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  5. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  6. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  7. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  8. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  9. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  10. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  11. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  12. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  13. That was a fun ________________.
  14. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  15. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  16. That was ________________ to happen.
  17. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  18. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  19. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  20. Have you found your soul ________________?
  21. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  22. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  23. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  24. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.

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

Answer key

  1. patient — a sick person
  2. craft — a handicraft
  3. land — to come down
  4. hide — animal skin
  5. land — a country
  6. land — ground
  7. hand — help
  8. craft — a skill
  9. bound — tied together
  10. patient — a sick person
  11. bound — obliged
  12. game — wild animals
  13. game — a match
  14. patient — calm and waiting
  15. craft — boats
  16. bound — certain
  17. mate — a friend
  18. game — a kind of play
  19. hide — to keep secret
  20. mate — a partner
  21. hand — part of the body
  22. hand — in cards
  23. hide — to keep secret
  24. mate — to breed

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