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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. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  2. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  3. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  4. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  5. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  6. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  7. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  8. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  9. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  10. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  11. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  12. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  13. When was this ________________ built?
  14. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  15. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  16. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  17. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  18. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  19. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  20. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  21. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  22. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  23. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  24. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.

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

Answer key

  1. present — a gift
  2. present — the time now
  3. craft — a handicraft
  4. drill — a practice
  5. craft — boats
  6. present — there
  7. track — to keep track
  8. chest — a box
  9. drill — army training
  10. patient — a sick person
  11. chest — of your body
  12. wind — to turn a key
  13. temple — a place of worship
  14. track — a song
  15. track — a path
  16. temple — a place of worship
  17. craft — a skill
  18. drill — the tool
  19. chest — of your body
  20. patient — a sick person
  21. patient — calm and waiting
  22. wind — moving air
  23. temple — side of the head
  24. wind — moving air

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