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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. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  2. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  3. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  4. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  5. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  6. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  7. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  8. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  9. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  10. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  11. Did you ________________ the button?
  12. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  13. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  14. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  15. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  16. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  17. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  18. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  19. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  20. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  21. Have you met the new head ________________?
  22. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  23. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  24. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.

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

Answer key

  1. craft — a handicraft
  2. wind — moving air
  3. branch — of a bank
  4. branch — a division
  5. wind — moving air
  6. wind — to turn a key
  7. craft — boats
  8. patient — a sick person
  9. patient — calm and waiting
  10. coach — pulled by horses
  11. press — to push
  12. straw — a straw man
  13. rule — a law
  14. branch — of a tree
  15. press — newspapers
  16. rule — government
  17. press — a publisher
  18. straw — dry grass
  19. patient — a sick person
  20. rule — to rule out
  21. coach — a trainer
  22. straw — to clutch at straws
  23. craft — a skill
  24. coach — a trainer

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