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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 116 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 ball is in your ________________.
  2. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  3. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  4. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  5. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  6. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  7. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  8. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  9. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  10. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  11. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  12. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  13. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  14. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  15. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  16. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  17. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  18. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  19. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  20. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  21. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  22. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  23. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  24. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. court — for sport
  2. craft — a handicraft
  3. lash — to lash out
  4. craft — boats
  5. patient — calm and waiting
  6. band — a rubber band
  7. chair — a leader
  8. chair — a professorship
  9. patient — a sick person
  10. root — of a word
  11. lash — an eyelash
  12. craft — a skill
  13. band — a music group
  14. court — of a king
  15. patient — a sick person
  16. chair — to sit on
  17. lash — a whip stroke
  18. root — of a plant
  19. root — the cause
  20. court — of law
  21. lean — thin
  22. lean — to rest against
  23. lean — to bend
  24. band — a ring

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