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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 ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  2. Have you met the new head ________________?
  3. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  4. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  5. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  6. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  7. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  8. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  9. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  10. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  11. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  12. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  13. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  14. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  15. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  16. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  17. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  18. I can't ________________ this cold.
  19. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  20. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  21. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  22. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  23. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  24. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?

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

Answer key

  1. pit — a fruit stone
  2. coach — a trainer
  3. coach — a trainer
  4. craft — a skill
  5. patient — a sick person
  6. leaves — to go away
  7. craft — a handicraft
  8. patient — a sick person
  9. patient — calm and waiting
  10. stand — for spectators
  11. stand — on your feet
  12. present — there
  13. craft — boats
  14. pit — in a race
  15. leaves — of a tree
  16. hand — help
  17. pit — a hole
  18. stand — to bear
  19. hand — in cards
  20. present — a gift
  21. leaves — lets stay
  22. hand — part of the body
  23. present — the time now
  24. coach — pulled by horses

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