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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 in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  2. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  3. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  4. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  5. He was locked up in a ________________.
  6. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  7. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  8. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  9. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  10. That was ________________ to happen.
  11. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  12. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  13. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  14. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  15. The ________________ market has crashed.
  16. Have you met the new head ________________?
  17. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  18. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  19. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  20. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  21. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  22. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  23. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  24. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.

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

Answer key

  1. lash — to lash out
  2. craft — a skill
  3. fan — a supporter
  4. stock — a soup base
  5. cell — in a prison
  6. lash — a whip stroke
  7. patient — a sick person
  8. bound — obliged
  9. coach — pulled by horses
  10. bound — certain
  11. cell — in biology
  12. cell — a phone
  13. patient — a sick person
  14. patient — calm and waiting
  15. stock — shares
  16. coach — a trainer
  17. lash — an eyelash
  18. coach — a trainer
  19. craft — a handicraft
  20. craft — boats
  21. fan — to cool the air
  22. fan — a supporter
  23. bound — tied together
  24. stock — goods

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