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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. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  2. The ball is in your ________________.
  3. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  4. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  5. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  6. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  7. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  8. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  9. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  10. When are we going to ________________?
  11. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  12. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  13. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  14. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  15. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  16. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  17. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  18. David sat on the ________________.
  19. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  20. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  21. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  22. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  23. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  24. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.

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

Answer key

  1. craft — boats
  2. court — for sport
  3. safe — out of danger
  4. stem — to come from
  5. swing — music
  6. craft — a handicraft
  7. court — of a king
  8. band — a ring
  9. land — a country
  10. land — to come down
  11. land — ground
  12. swing — in golf
  13. stem — of a plant
  14. court — of law
  15. craft — a skill
  16. stem — a stem cell
  17. patient — calm and waiting
  18. swing — to play on
  19. patient — a sick person
  20. patient — a sick person
  21. band — a music group
  22. safe — a strongbox
  23. safe — out of danger
  24. band — a rubber band

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