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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. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  2. Have you met the new head ________________?
  3. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  4. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  5. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  6. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  7. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  8. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  9. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  10. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  11. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  12. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  13. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  14. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  15. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  16. It's one o'clock ________________.
  17. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  18. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  19. I can't ________________ this cold.
  20. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  21. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  22. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  23. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  24. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. stand — on your feet
  2. coach — a trainer
  3. craft — boats
  4. root — of a plant
  5. craft — a skill
  6. degree — temperature
  7. leaves — lets stay
  8. root — of a word
  9. coach — pulled by horses
  10. patient — a sick person
  11. root — the cause
  12. sharp — clever
  13. sharp — with an edge
  14. craft — a handicraft
  15. leaves — to go away
  16. sharp — exactly
  17. leaves — of a tree
  18. degree — an amount
  19. stand — to bear
  20. coach — a trainer
  21. degree — from a university
  22. patient — calm and waiting
  23. patient — a sick person
  24. stand — for spectators

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