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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. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  2. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  3. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  4. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  5. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  6. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  7. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  8. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  9. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  10. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  11. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  12. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  13. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  14. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  15. David sat on the ________________.
  16. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  17. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  18. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  19. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  20. When was this ________________ built?
  21. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  22. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  23. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  24. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.

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

Answer key

  1. craft — boats
  2. craft — a handicraft
  3. staff — employees
  4. content — happy
  5. trunk — of a car
  6. content — the amount
  7. trunk — of a tree
  8. craft — a skill
  9. temple — side of the head
  10. deal — an agreement
  11. swing — in golf
  12. patient — a sick person
  13. staff — a stick
  14. staff — employees
  15. swing — to play on
  16. swing — music
  17. content — videos and posts
  18. temple — a place of worship
  19. deal — a big deal
  20. temple — a place of worship
  21. deal — to handle
  22. trunk — of an elephant
  23. patient — a sick person
  24. patient — calm and waiting

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