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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. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  2. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  3. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  4. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  5. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  6. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  7. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  8. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  9. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  10. My father caught me by the ________________.
  11. There's no middle ________________.
  12. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  13. I've got to change the light ________________.
  14. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  15. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  16. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  17. The light ________________ burned out.
  18. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  19. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  20. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  21. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  22. Have you met the new head ________________?
  23. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  24. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.

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

Answer key

  1. craft — boats
  2. coach — a trainer
  3. patient — a sick person
  4. ground — crushed
  5. arm — part of the body
  6. ground — the earth
  7. patient — a sick person
  8. coach — pulled by horses
  9. bark — of a tree
  10. arm — part of the body
  11. ground — a position
  12. bark — to shout
  13. bulb — for light
  14. bulb — of a plant
  15. degree — temperature
  16. bark — a dog's sound
  17. bulb — for light
  18. patient — calm and waiting
  19. arm — a part of something
  20. craft — a handicraft
  21. degree — an amount
  22. coach — a trainer
  23. degree — from a university
  24. craft — a skill

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