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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. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  2. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  3. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  4. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  5. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  6. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  7. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  8. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  9. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  10. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  11. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  12. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  13. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  14. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  15. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  16. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  17. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  18. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  19. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  20. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  21. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  22. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  23. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  24. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.

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

Answer key

  1. craft — boats
  2. staff — employees
  3. dip — to sink
  4. lean — thin
  5. ruler — a monarch
  6. race — a contest
  7. craft — a handicraft
  8. dip — to dunk
  9. row — a quarrel
  10. lean — to rest against
  11. patient — calm and waiting
  12. lean — to bend
  13. staff — a stick
  14. craft — a skill
  15. patient — a sick person
  16. race — humankind
  17. ruler — for measuring
  18. row — a line
  19. race — the arms race
  20. dip — a sauce
  21. patient — a sick person
  22. row — to paddle
  23. ruler — for measuring
  24. staff — employees

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