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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 nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  2. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  3. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  4. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  5. The water is too ________________.
  6. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  7. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  8. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  9. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  10. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  11. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  12. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  13. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  14. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  15. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  16. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  17. Where did you ________________ them?
  18. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  19. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  20. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  21. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  22. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  23. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  24. The ________________ market has crashed.

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

Answer key

  1. patient — a sick person
  2. craft — a handicraft
  3. fine — high quality
  4. stock — a soup base
  5. cold — not warm
  6. chair — a leader
  7. chair — to sit on
  8. spring — a coil
  9. spring — the season
  10. cold — an illness
  11. craft — boats
  12. patient — calm and waiting
  13. cold — the Cold War
  14. craft — a skill
  15. mug — a cup
  16. spring — of water
  17. mug — to rob
  18. fine — a penalty
  19. patient — a sick person
  20. fine — all right
  21. chair — a professorship
  22. stock — goods
  23. mug — a face
  24. stock — shares

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