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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. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  2. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  3. The light ________________ burned out.
  4. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  5. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  6. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  7. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  8. When was this ________________ built?
  9. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  10. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  11. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  12. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  13. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  14. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  15. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  16. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  17. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  18. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  19. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  20. I've got to change the light ________________.
  21. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  22. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  23. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  24. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.

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

Answer key

  1. present — the time now
  2. craft — boats
  3. bulb — for light
  4. craft — a handicraft
  5. temple — a place of worship
  6. temple — side of the head
  7. patient — calm and waiting
  8. temple — a place of worship
  9. field — for sport
  10. shower — to wash
  11. present — there
  12. present — a gift
  13. craft — a skill
  14. field — farmland
  15. jam — to spread on bread
  16. bulb — of a plant
  17. patient — a sick person
  18. jam — in traffic
  19. field — a subject
  20. bulb — for light
  21. shower — a meteor shower
  22. jam — a tight spot
  23. shower — rain
  24. patient — a sick person

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