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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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: stand · bark · straw · land · patient · craft · court · prune

  1. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  2. I can't ________________ this cold.
  3. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  4. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  5. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  6. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  7. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  8. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  9. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  10. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  11. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  12. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  13. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  14. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  15. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  16. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  17. The ball is in your ________________.
  18. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  19. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  20. When are we going to ________________?
  21. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  22. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  23. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  24. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.

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

Answer key

  1. stand — for spectators
  2. stand — to bear
  3. craft — boats
  4. patient — a sick person
  5. prune — to trim
  6. straw — to clutch at straws
  7. patient — calm and waiting
  8. craft — a skill
  9. bark — to shout
  10. straw — dry grass
  11. patient — a sick person
  12. prune — the fruit
  13. land — ground
  14. bark — of a tree
  15. straw — a straw man
  16. stand — on your feet
  17. court — for sport
  18. bark — a dog's sound
  19. land — a country
  20. land — to come down
  21. craft — a handicraft
  22. prune — to trim
  23. court — of a king
  24. court — of law

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