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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.

Words on the sheet
468
Word bank
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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 nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  2. What do you think of the new ________________?
  3. Have you met the new head ________________?
  4. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  5. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  6. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  7. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  8. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  9. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  10. False peace will not ________________.
  11. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  12. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  13. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  14. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  15. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  16. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  17. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  18. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  19. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  20. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  21. The water is too ________________.
  22. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  23. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  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. patient — a sick person
  2. cabinet — ministers
  3. coach — a trainer
  4. stick — a piece of wood
  5. last — finally
  6. cold — an illness
  7. last — final
  8. craft — a handicraft
  9. stick — a piece of wood
  10. last — to go on
  11. cabinet — ministers
  12. stick — to attach or keep to
  13. cabinet — a cupboard
  14. craft — a skill
  15. craft — boats
  16. patient — a sick person
  17. coach — a trainer
  18. wind — to turn a key
  19. patient — calm and waiting
  20. wind — moving air
  21. cold — not warm
  22. wind — moving air
  23. cold — the Cold War
  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