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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. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  2. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  3. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  4. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  5. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  6. Did you ________________ the button?
  7. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  8. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  9. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  10. When was this ________________ built?
  11. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  12. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  13. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  14. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  15. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  16. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  17. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  18. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  19. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  20. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  21. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  22. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  23. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  24. The water is too ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. craft — a handicraft
  2. patient — a sick person
  3. board — to get on
  4. craft — a skill
  5. toast — a drink to someone
  6. press — to push
  7. temple — side of the head
  8. board — a flat piece
  9. wind — moving air
  10. temple — a place of worship
  11. wind — moving air
  12. wind — to turn a key
  13. patient — calm and waiting
  14. craft — boats
  15. patient — a sick person
  16. toast — the most admired
  17. press — newspapers
  18. temple — a place of worship
  19. press — a publisher
  20. cold — an illness
  21. toast — bread
  22. board — a committee
  23. cold — the Cold War
  24. cold — not warm

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