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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. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  2. That must've been a ________________.
  3. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  4. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  5. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  6. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  7. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  8. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  9. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  10. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  11. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  12. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  13. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  14. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  15. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  16. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  17. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  18. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  19. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  20. What do you think of the new ________________?
  21. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  22. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  23. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  24. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.

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

Answer key

  1. patient — calm and waiting
  2. rush — a thrill
  3. craft — a handicraft
  4. patient — a sick person
  5. fork — in a road
  6. leaves — lets stay
  7. cabinet — ministers
  8. fork — a garden tool
  9. current — of water
  10. leaves — to go away
  11. rush — hurry
  12. patient — a sick person
  13. tear — to rip
  14. leaves — of a tree
  15. rush — to hurry
  16. fork — to eat with
  17. current — electric
  18. cabinet — a cupboard
  19. craft — boats
  20. cabinet — ministers
  21. tear — from crying
  22. craft — a skill
  23. tear — from crying
  24. current — happening now

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