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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 120 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
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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: content · craft · patient · ground · drill · coach · rash · fall

  1. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  2. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  3. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  4. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  5. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  6. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  7. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  8. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  9. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  10. Have you met the new head ________________?
  11. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  12. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  13. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  14. Don't do anything ________________.
  15. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  16. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  17. There's no middle ________________.
  18. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  19. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  20. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  21. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  22. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  23. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  24. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.

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

Answer key

  1. craft — boats
  2. coach — pulled by horses
  3. rash — on the skin
  4. ground — crushed
  5. drill — army training
  6. coach — a trainer
  7. patient — calm and waiting
  8. drill — a practice
  9. fall — to drop
  10. coach — a trainer
  11. patient — a sick person
  12. content — the amount
  13. fall — the season
  14. rash — hasty
  15. patient — a sick person
  16. content — happy
  17. ground — a position
  18. ground — the earth
  19. content — videos and posts
  20. rash — a series
  21. craft — a handicraft
  22. fall — to drop
  23. craft — a skill
  24. drill — the tool

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