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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: patient · land · face · board · current · ground · toast · nail

  1. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  2. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  3. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  4. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  5. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  6. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  7. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  8. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  9. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  10. When are we going to ________________?
  11. There's no middle ________________.
  12. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  13. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  14. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  15. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  16. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  17. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  18. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  19. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  20. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  21. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  22. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  23. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  24. The ________________ went through the wall.

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

Answer key

  1. current — happening now
  2. toast — bread
  3. nail — for a hammer
  4. land — ground
  5. nail — on a finger
  6. patient — a sick person
  7. ground — the earth
  8. toast — a drink to someone
  9. board — a committee
  10. land — to come down
  11. ground — a position
  12. face — to point toward
  13. toast — the most admired
  14. face — to confront
  15. board — to get on
  16. patient — a sick person
  17. ground — crushed
  18. current — electric
  19. face — part of the head
  20. board — a flat piece
  21. land — a country
  22. current — of water
  23. patient — calm and waiting
  24. nail — for a hammer

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