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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. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  2. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  3. The ________________ took off on time.
  4. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  5. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  6. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  7. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  8. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  9. That was ________________ to happen.
  10. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  11. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  12. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  13. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  14. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  15. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  16. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  17. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  18. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  19. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  20. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  21. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  22. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  23. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  24. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.

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

Answer key

  1. craft — a handicraft
  2. patient — a sick person
  3. plane — an aircraft
  4. bound — tied together
  5. vault — an arched ceiling
  6. craft — a skill
  7. patient — calm and waiting
  8. ruler — a monarch
  9. bound — certain
  10. vault — in gymnastics
  11. foot — a measure
  12. foot — the bottom
  13. plane — a tool
  14. ruler — for measuring
  15. plane — in geometry
  16. craft — boats
  17. vault — a safe
  18. fork — a garden tool
  19. bound — obliged
  20. patient — a sick person
  21. foot — part of the body
  22. ruler — for measuring
  23. fork — in a road
  24. fork — to eat with

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