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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 116 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: ground · patient · wave · racket · board · last · rush · hand

  1. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  2. That must've been a ________________.
  3. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  4. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  5. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  6. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  7. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  8. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  9. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  10. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  11. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  12. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  13. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  14. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  15. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  16. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  17. False peace will not ________________.
  18. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  19. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  20. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  21. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  22. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  23. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  24. There's no middle ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. last — final
  2. rush — a thrill
  3. board — a committee
  4. ground — crushed
  5. hand — help
  6. patient — a sick person
  7. hand — in cards
  8. wave — of the sea
  9. wave — a sudden rise
  10. board — a flat piece
  11. racket — for tennis
  12. last — finally
  13. racket — a loud noise
  14. patient — a sick person
  15. rush — to hurry
  16. rush — hurry
  17. last — to go on
  18. patient — calm and waiting
  19. hand — part of the body
  20. ground — the earth
  21. board — to get on
  22. wave — with your hand
  23. racket — for tennis
  24. ground — a position

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