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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. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  2. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  3. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  4. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  5. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  6. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  7. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  8. When will it ________________ you to start?
  9. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  10. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  11. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  12. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  13. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  14. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  15. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  16. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  17. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  18. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  19. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  20. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  21. Have you settled on a ________________?
  22. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  23. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  24. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.

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

Answer key

  1. patient — calm and waiting
  2. craft — a skill
  3. foot — the bottom
  4. date — the fruit
  5. field — a subject
  6. lash — a whip stroke
  7. patient — a sick person
  8. suit — to fit
  9. wound — an injury
  10. lash — an eyelash
  11. suit — clothes
  12. suit — in cards
  13. foot — a measure
  14. date — on the calendar
  15. patient — a sick person
  16. lash — to lash out
  17. wound — past of 'wind'
  18. field — farmland
  19. foot — part of the body
  20. wound — an injury
  21. date — on the calendar
  22. craft — a handicraft
  23. field — for sport
  24. craft — boats

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