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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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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. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  2. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  3. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  4. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  5. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  6. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  7. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  8. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  9. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  10. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  11. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  12. That must've been a ________________.
  13. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  14. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  15. The ball is in your ________________.
  16. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  17. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  18. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  19. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  20. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  21. What do you think of the new ________________?
  22. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  23. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  24. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. patient — a sick person
  2. craft — boats
  3. mine — belonging to me
  4. cabinet — a cupboard
  5. cabinet — ministers
  6. court — of a king
  7. can — a tin
  8. court — of law
  9. mine — an explosive
  10. can — to be able to
  11. patient — calm and waiting
  12. rush — a thrill
  13. rush — to hurry
  14. clip — for paper
  15. court — for sport
  16. can — a tin
  17. mine — for digging
  18. craft — a skill
  19. clip — to cut
  20. craft — a handicraft
  21. cabinet — ministers
  22. rush — hurry
  23. patient — a sick person
  24. clip — a video

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