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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 116 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. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  2. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  3. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  4. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  5. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  6. That was a fun ________________.
  7. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  8. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  9. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  10. The water is too ________________.
  11. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  12. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  13. I'll be taking the ________________.
  14. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  15. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  16. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  17. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  18. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  19. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  20. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  21. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  22. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  23. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  24. The spa offers ________________ extensions.

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

Answer key

  1. craft — a skill
  2. lash — to lash out
  3. lash — a whip stroke
  4. patient — a sick person
  5. patient — calm and waiting
  6. game — a match
  7. cold — the Cold War
  8. tube — a container
  9. cap — of ice
  10. cold — not warm
  11. patient — a sick person
  12. game — wild animals
  13. tube — the underground
  14. cold — an illness
  15. cap — a lid
  16. craft — boats
  17. mouse — the animal
  18. tube — in a tire
  19. mouse — for a computer
  20. craft — a handicraft
  21. mouse — the animal
  22. cap — a hat
  23. game — a kind of play
  24. lash — an eyelash

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