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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. Have you met the new head ________________?
  2. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  3. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  4. He works in a ________________ mill.
  5. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  6. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  7. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  8. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  9. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  10. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  11. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  12. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  13. She's very handy with a ________________.
  14. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  15. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  16. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  17. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  18. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  19. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  20. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  21. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  22. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  23. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  24. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.

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

Answer key

  1. coach — a trainer
  2. patient — calm and waiting
  3. saw — past of 'see'
  4. saw — the tool
  5. coach — a trainer
  6. trunk — of an elephant
  7. fall — the season
  8. trunk — of a car
  9. chair — to sit on
  10. fall — to drop
  11. current — of water
  12. craft — a skill
  13. saw — the tool
  14. chair — a professorship
  15. fall — to drop
  16. chair — a leader
  17. current — happening now
  18. trunk — of a tree
  19. current — electric
  20. craft — boats
  21. coach — pulled by horses
  22. patient — a sick person
  23. craft — a handicraft
  24. patient — a sick person

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