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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: date · track · patient · craft · drill · fork · ground · last

  1. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  2. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  3. False peace will not ________________.
  4. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  5. Have you settled on a ________________?
  6. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  7. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  8. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  9. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  10. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  11. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  12. There's no middle ________________.
  13. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  14. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  15. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  16. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  17. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  18. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  19. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  20. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  21. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  22. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  23. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  24. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.

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

Answer key

  1. ground — the earth
  2. drill — a practice
  3. last — to go on
  4. last — finally
  5. date — on the calendar
  6. date — on the calendar
  7. last — final
  8. craft — boats
  9. drill — the tool
  10. date — the fruit
  11. drill — army training
  12. ground — a position
  13. fork — to eat with
  14. craft — a handicraft
  15. track — a path
  16. ground — crushed
  17. craft — a skill
  18. patient — a sick person
  19. track — to keep track
  20. fork — in a road
  21. patient — a sick person
  22. fork — a garden tool
  23. patient — calm and waiting
  24. track — a song

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