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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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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: stand · cap · firm · ground · patient · hand · roll · drill

  1. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  2. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  3. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  4. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  5. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  6. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  7. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  8. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  9. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  10. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  11. We're on a ________________ here.
  12. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  13. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  14. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  15. There's no middle ________________.
  16. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  17. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  18. I can't ________________ this cold.
  19. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  20. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  21. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  22. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  23. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  24. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. patient — calm and waiting
  2. hand — in cards
  3. drill — a practice
  4. drill — army training
  5. patient — a sick person
  6. hand — help
  7. patient — a sick person
  8. stand — on your feet
  9. ground — crushed
  10. firm — a company
  11. roll — on a roll
  12. drill — the tool
  13. firm — decided
  14. stand — for spectators
  15. ground — a position
  16. cap — a hat
  17. cap — of ice
  18. stand — to bear
  19. roll — a list
  20. roll — a cake
  21. cap — a lid
  22. firm — steady
  23. ground — the earth
  24. hand — part of the body

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