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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. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  2. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  3. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  4. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  5. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  6. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  7. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  8. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  9. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  10. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  11. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  12. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  13. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  14. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  15. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  16. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  17. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  18. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  19. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  20. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  21. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  22. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  23. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  24. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.

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

Answer key

  1. wake — to stop sleeping
  2. mine — an explosive
  3. pass — to succeed
  4. craft — a handicraft
  5. wake — before a funeral
  6. mine — belonging to me
  7. file — a tool
  8. patient — calm and waiting
  9. patient — a sick person
  10. deal — to handle
  11. patient — a sick person
  12. dip — a sauce
  13. file — a document
  14. pass — a permit
  15. mine — for digging
  16. wake — a trail
  17. deal — an agreement
  18. dip — to dunk
  19. craft — boats
  20. deal — a big deal
  21. pass — to spend time
  22. craft — a skill
  23. file — a line of people
  24. dip — to sink

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