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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 ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  2. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  3. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  4. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  5. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  6. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  7. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  8. False peace will not ________________.
  9. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  10. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  11. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  12. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  13. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  14. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  15. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  16. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  17. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  18. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  19. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  20. How do you ________________ your surname?
  21. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  22. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  23. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  24. At ________________, we arrived at the village.

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. last — final
  4. fork — to eat with
  5. spell — a short time
  6. track — a song
  7. craft — boats
  8. last — to go on
  9. face — to confront
  10. spell — magic
  11. craft — a skill
  12. face — to point toward
  13. straw — a straw man
  14. track — to keep track
  15. fork — a garden tool
  16. straw — to clutch at straws
  17. face — part of the head
  18. patient — a sick person
  19. fork — in a road
  20. spell — letters
  21. straw — dry grass
  22. patient — calm and waiting
  23. track — a path
  24. last — finally

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