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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: straw · toast · cold · sharp · bulb · patient · stand · ground

  1. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  2. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  3. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  4. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  5. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  6. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  7. It's one o'clock ________________.
  8. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  9. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  10. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  11. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  12. The water is too ________________.
  13. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  14. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  15. I can't ________________ this cold.
  16. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  17. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  18. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  19. There's no middle ________________.
  20. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  21. The light ________________ burned out.
  22. I've got to change the light ________________.
  23. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  24. Add some ________________ pepper to it.

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

Answer key

  1. ground — the earth
  2. patient — calm and waiting
  3. patient — a sick person
  4. sharp — clever
  5. straw — a straw man
  6. straw — to clutch at straws
  7. sharp — exactly
  8. patient — a sick person
  9. stand — for spectators
  10. bulb — of a plant
  11. cold — an illness
  12. cold — not warm
  13. toast — bread
  14. cold — the Cold War
  15. stand — to bear
  16. straw — dry grass
  17. sharp — with an edge
  18. toast — a drink to someone
  19. ground — a position
  20. toast — the most admired
  21. bulb — for light
  22. bulb — for light
  23. stand — on your feet
  24. ground — crushed

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