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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 120 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: bay · bass · ground · trunk · pitcher · sharp · patient · lie

  1. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  2. It's one o'clock ________________.
  3. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  4. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  5. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  6. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  7. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  8. There's no middle ________________.
  9. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  10. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  11. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  12. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  13. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  14. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  15. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  16. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  17. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  18. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  19. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  20. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  21. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  22. He is an ace ________________.
  23. My mare is ________________ in color.
  24. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.

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

Answer key

  1. pitcher — a jug
  2. sharp — exactly
  3. patient — a sick person
  4. sharp — with an edge
  5. trunk — of an elephant
  6. pitcher — a jug
  7. bass — low music
  8. ground — a position
  9. ground — crushed
  10. bay — a part of the sea
  11. bass — the instrument
  12. trunk — of a car
  13. lie — an untruth
  14. ground — the earth
  15. lie — to recline
  16. lie — an untruth
  17. sharp — clever
  18. patient — a sick person
  19. bay — to keep at bay
  20. bass — the fish
  21. trunk — of a tree
  22. pitcher — in baseball
  23. bay — a horse colour
  24. patient — calm and waiting

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