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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. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  2. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  3. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  4. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  5. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  6. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  7. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  8. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  9. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  10. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  11. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  12. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  13. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  14. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  15. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  16. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  17. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  18. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  19. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  20. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  21. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  22. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  23. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  24. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.

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

Answer key

  1. wave — with your hand
  2. patient — a sick person
  3. patient — a sick person
  4. craft — a skill
  5. chair — to sit on
  6. club — for dancing
  7. wave — a sudden rise
  8. fall — the season
  9. staff — employees
  10. staff — employees
  11. fall — to drop
  12. craft — boats
  13. staff — a stick
  14. chair — a leader
  15. wave — of the sea
  16. club — for golf
  17. chair — a professorship
  18. fall — to drop
  19. trunk — of a car
  20. club — a group
  21. trunk — of an elephant
  22. trunk — of a tree
  23. patient — calm and waiting
  24. craft — a handicraft

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