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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 120 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. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  2. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  3. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  4. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  5. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  6. The ball is in your ________________.
  7. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  8. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  9. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  10. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  11. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  12. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  13. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  14. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  15. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  16. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  17. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  18. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  19. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  20. Did you ________________ the meat?
  21. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  22. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  23. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  24. The ________________ went through the wall.

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

Answer key

  1. nail — on a finger
  2. wind — moving air
  3. season — in sport
  4. patient — a sick person
  5. craft — a handicraft
  6. court — for sport
  7. court — of a king
  8. trunk — of an elephant
  9. wind — moving air
  10. craft — a skill
  11. object — to protest
  12. object — a thing
  13. trunk — of a car
  14. court — of law
  15. season — of the year
  16. patient — calm and waiting
  17. craft — boats
  18. trunk — of a tree
  19. wind — to turn a key
  20. season — to add flavour
  21. patient — a sick person
  22. nail — for a hammer
  23. object — an aim
  24. nail — for a hammer

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