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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: hand · patient · ruler · ball · current · row · plane · ground

  1. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  2. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  3. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  4. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  5. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  6. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  7. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  8. There's no middle ________________.
  9. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  10. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  11. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  12. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  13. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  14. The King held a masked ________________.
  15. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  16. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  17. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  18. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  19. The ________________ took off on time.
  20. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  21. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  22. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  23. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  24. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.

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

Answer key

  1. hand — help
  2. ground — crushed
  3. hand — in cards
  4. patient — calm and waiting
  5. ground — the earth
  6. hand — part of the body
  7. ruler — a monarch
  8. ground — a position
  9. ruler — for measuring
  10. plane — in geometry
  11. row — a line
  12. current — happening now
  13. current — of water
  14. ball — a dance
  15. ruler — for measuring
  16. current — electric
  17. row — to paddle
  18. plane — a tool
  19. plane — an aircraft
  20. patient — a sick person
  21. row — a quarrel
  22. patient — a sick person
  23. ball — a round shape
  24. ball — a great time

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