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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.

Make a worksheet

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
468
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: patient · saw · hand · land · foot · leaves · chair · stick

  1. She's very handy with a ________________.
  2. When are we going to ________________?
  3. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  4. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  5. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  6. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  7. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  8. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  9. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  10. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  11. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  12. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  13. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  14. He works in a ________________ mill.
  15. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  16. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  17. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  18. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  19. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  20. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  21. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  22. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  23. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  24. The ________________ change colour in autumn.

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

Answer key

  1. saw — the tool
  2. land — to come down
  3. foot — part of the body
  4. stick — a piece of wood
  5. stick — to attach or keep to
  6. stick — a piece of wood
  7. patient — calm and waiting
  8. hand — part of the body
  9. patient — a sick person
  10. chair — to sit on
  11. land — ground
  12. land — a country
  13. foot — the bottom
  14. saw — the tool
  15. hand — in cards
  16. chair — a leader
  17. patient — a sick person
  18. chair — a professorship
  19. foot — a measure
  20. hand — help
  21. leaves — to go away
  22. leaves — lets stay
  23. saw — past of 'see'
  24. leaves — of a tree

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