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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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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: land · patient · bound · craft · wax · firm · mine · calf

  1. When are we going to ________________?
  2. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  3. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  4. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  5. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  6. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  7. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  8. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  9. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  10. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  11. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  12. That was ________________ to happen.
  13. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  14. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  15. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  16. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  17. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  18. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  19. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  20. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  21. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  22. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  23. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  24. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. land — to come down
  2. patient — a sick person
  3. wax — for sculpting
  4. bound — tied together
  5. firm — decided
  6. mine — belonging to me
  7. firm — steady
  8. firm — a company
  9. mine — for digging
  10. craft — a handicraft
  11. patient — a sick person
  12. bound — certain
  13. wax — to grow
  14. land — a country
  15. calf — a young animal
  16. mine — an explosive
  17. land — ground
  18. bound — obliged
  19. calf — of the leg
  20. wax — in the ear
  21. craft — a skill
  22. craft — boats
  23. patient — calm and waiting
  24. calf — a young animal

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