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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. Don't do anything ________________.
  2. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  3. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  4. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  5. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  6. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  7. She's very handy with a ________________.
  8. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  9. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  10. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  11. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  12. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  13. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  14. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  15. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  16. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  17. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  18. He works in a ________________ mill.
  19. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  20. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  21. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  22. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  23. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  24. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. rash — hasty
  2. patient — calm and waiting
  3. craft — a handicraft
  4. wave — of the sea
  5. wave — with your hand
  6. patient — a sick person
  7. saw — the tool
  8. vault — in gymnastics
  9. patient — a sick person
  10. craft — a skill
  11. saw — past of 'see'
  12. cue — a hint
  13. craft — boats
  14. fall — to drop
  15. cue — for pool
  16. rash — on the skin
  17. vault — an arched ceiling
  18. saw — the tool
  19. fall — to drop
  20. fall — the season
  21. rash — a series
  22. wave — a sudden rise
  23. cue — a signal
  24. vault — a safe

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