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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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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: fork · bay · stem · patient · club · ground · sharp · kick

  1. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  2. There's no middle ________________.
  3. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  4. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  5. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  6. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  7. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  8. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  9. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  10. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  11. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  12. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  13. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  14. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  15. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  16. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  17. My mare is ________________ in color.
  18. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  19. It's one o'clock ________________.
  20. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  21. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  22. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  23. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  24. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.

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

Answer key

  1. ground — crushed
  2. ground — a position
  3. patient — a sick person
  4. sharp — clever
  5. kick — a thrill
  6. patient — calm and waiting
  7. patient — a sick person
  8. kick — in football
  9. club — for golf
  10. bay — to keep at bay
  11. stem — to come from
  12. ground — the earth
  13. bay — a part of the sea
  14. fork — to eat with
  15. stem — of a plant
  16. fork — in a road
  17. bay — a horse colour
  18. stem — a stem cell
  19. sharp — exactly
  20. sharp — with an edge
  21. kick — with a leg
  22. club — for dancing
  23. fork — a garden tool
  24. club — a group

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