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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 farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  2. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  3. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  4. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  5. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  6. Have you settled on a ________________?
  7. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  8. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  9. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  10. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  11. Did you ________________ the meat?
  12. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  13. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  14. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  15. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  16. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  17. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  18. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  19. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  20. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  21. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  22. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  23. That was ________________ to happen.
  24. She's sitting on a gold ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. patient — calm and waiting
  2. date — on the calendar
  3. snap — to click
  4. date — the fruit
  5. bound — tied together
  6. date — on the calendar
  7. craft — boats
  8. patient — a sick person
  9. patient — a sick person
  10. season — in sport
  11. season — to add flavour
  12. snap — to speak sharply
  13. bound — obliged
  14. craft — a handicraft
  15. snap — to snap out of it
  16. current — happening now
  17. current — of water
  18. season — of the year
  19. mine — belonging to me
  20. current — electric
  21. mine — an explosive
  22. craft — a skill
  23. bound — certain
  24. mine — for digging

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