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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. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  2. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  3. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  4. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  5. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  6. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  7. Don't do anything ________________.
  8. What do you think of the new ________________?
  9. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  10. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  11. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  12. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  13. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  14. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  15. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  16. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  17. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  18. The water is too ________________.
  19. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  20. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  21. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  22. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  23. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  24. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.

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

Answer key

  1. cabinet — a cupboard
  2. craft — a handicraft
  3. current — happening now
  4. rash — on the skin
  5. craft — a skill
  6. patient — a sick person
  7. rash — hasty
  8. cabinet — ministers
  9. patient — calm and waiting
  10. band — a ring
  11. lean — to rest against
  12. rash — a series
  13. cabinet — ministers
  14. current — electric
  15. lean — to bend
  16. current — of water
  17. craft — boats
  18. cold — not warm
  19. band — a rubber band
  20. patient — a sick person
  21. band — a music group
  22. cold — an illness
  23. lean — thin
  24. cold — the Cold War

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