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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. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  2. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  3. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  4. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  5. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  6. He was locked up in a ________________.
  7. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  8. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  9. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  10. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  11. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  12. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  13. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  14. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  15. My father caught me by the ________________.
  16. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  17. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  18. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  19. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  20. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  21. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  22. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  23. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  24. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.

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

Answer key

  1. craft — boats
  2. hand — part of the body
  3. staff — employees
  4. cell — in biology
  5. stem — a stem cell
  6. cell — in a prison
  7. staff — a stick
  8. staff — employees
  9. hand — help
  10. mine — for digging
  11. patient — a sick person
  12. arm — part of the body
  13. cell — a phone
  14. hand — in cards
  15. arm — part of the body
  16. craft — a handicraft
  17. mine — an explosive
  18. arm — a part of something
  19. patient — calm and waiting
  20. stem — to come from
  21. stem — of a plant
  22. patient — a sick person
  23. craft — a skill
  24. mine — belonging to me

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