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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. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  3. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  4. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  5. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  6. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  7. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  8. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  9. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  10. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  11. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  12. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  13. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  14. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  15. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  16. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  17. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  18. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  19. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  20. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  21. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  22. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  23. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  24. I had a ________________ with my boss today.

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

Answer key

  1. patient — calm and waiting
  2. craft — a handicraft
  3. wave — of the sea
  4. bark — of a tree
  5. cue — a hint
  6. patient — a sick person
  7. cap — a hat
  8. cap — of ice
  9. wave — with your hand
  10. wound — past of 'wind'
  11. wound — an injury
  12. row — to paddle
  13. bark — a dog's sound
  14. cap — a lid
  15. cue — a signal
  16. bark — to shout
  17. row — a line
  18. craft — a skill
  19. craft — boats
  20. wound — an injury
  21. patient — a sick person
  22. cue — for pool
  23. wave — a sudden rise
  24. row — a quarrel

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