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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 · last · jam · patient · sharp · plane · rock · foot

  1. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  2. False peace will not ________________.
  3. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  4. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  5. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  6. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  7. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  8. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  9. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  10. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  11. It's one o'clock ________________.
  12. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  13. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  14. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  15. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  16. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  17. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  18. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  19. When are we going to ________________?
  20. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  21. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  22. The ________________ took off on time.
  23. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  24. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.

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

Answer key

  1. last — finally
  2. last — to go on
  3. last — final
  4. plane — a tool
  5. rock — to move gently
  6. land — a country
  7. sharp — clever
  8. patient — a sick person
  9. foot — part of the body
  10. rock — music
  11. sharp — exactly
  12. patient — calm and waiting
  13. foot — the bottom
  14. jam — in traffic
  15. land — ground
  16. rock — a stone
  17. jam — a tight spot
  18. patient — a sick person
  19. land — to come down
  20. plane — in geometry
  21. jam — to spread on bread
  22. plane — an aircraft
  23. sharp — with an edge
  24. foot — a measure

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