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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 116 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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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. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  2. When are we going to ________________?
  3. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  4. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  5. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  6. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  7. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  8. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  9. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  10. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  11. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  12. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  13. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  14. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  15. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  16. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  17. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  18. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  19. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  20. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  21. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  22. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  23. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  24. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.

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

Answer key

  1. craft — a skill
  2. land — to come down
  3. race — humankind
  4. craft — a handicraft
  5. rest — what's left
  6. race — the arms race
  7. race — a contest
  8. patient — calm and waiting
  9. safe — a strongbox
  10. land — ground
  11. field — farmland
  12. rest — a break
  13. field — for sport
  14. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  15. kid — child
  16. safe — out of danger
  17. patient — a sick person
  18. field — a subject
  19. craft — boats
  20. safe — out of danger
  21. patient — a sick person
  22. kid — to tease
  23. land — a country
  24. rest — what's left

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