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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: bay · ground · patient · fine · wave · rule · bat · saw

  1. There's no middle ________________.
  2. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  3. He works in a ________________ mill.
  4. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  5. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  6. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  7. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  8. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  9. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  10. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  11. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  12. My mare is ________________ in color.
  13. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  14. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  15. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  16. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  17. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  18. She's very handy with a ________________.
  19. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  20. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  21. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  22. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  23. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  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 — a position
  2. bat — the animal
  3. saw — the tool
  4. fine — a penalty
  5. bay — a part of the sea
  6. bat — in an idiom
  7. wave — a sudden rise
  8. patient — a sick person
  9. patient — calm and waiting
  10. bat — for baseball
  11. wave — of the sea
  12. bay — a horse colour
  13. fine — all right
  14. rule — to rule out
  15. saw — past of 'see'
  16. fine — high quality
  17. bay — to keep at bay
  18. saw — the tool
  19. patient — a sick person
  20. ground — the earth
  21. wave — with your hand
  22. rule — government
  23. rule — a law
  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