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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. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  2. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  3. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  4. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  5. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  6. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  7. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  8. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  9. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  10. I'll be taking the ________________.
  11. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  12. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  13. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  14. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  15. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  16. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  17. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  18. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  19. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  20. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  21. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  22. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  23. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  24. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.

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

Answer key

  1. staff — a stick
  2. staff — employees
  3. patient — a sick person
  4. tube — in a tire
  5. patient — calm and waiting
  6. wake — before a funeral
  7. club — a group
  8. craft — a handicraft
  9. craft — boats
  10. tube — the underground
  11. hand — part of the body
  12. tube — a container
  13. club — for golf
  14. fall — the season
  15. hand — help
  16. wake — to stop sleeping
  17. patient — a sick person
  18. hand — in cards
  19. staff — employees
  20. fall — to drop
  21. wake — a trail
  22. fall — to drop
  23. craft — a skill
  24. club — for dancing

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