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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. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  2. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  3. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  4. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  5. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  6. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  7. She's very handy with a ________________.
  8. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  9. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  10. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  11. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  12. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  13. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  14. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  15. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  16. What do you think of the new ________________?
  17. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  18. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  19. He works in a ________________ mill.
  20. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  21. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  22. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  23. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  24. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.

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

Answer key

  1. mine — for digging
  2. cabinet — ministers
  3. leaves — to go away
  4. fork — to eat with
  5. fork — a garden tool
  6. craft — a skill
  7. saw — the tool
  8. patient — a sick person
  9. leaves — lets stay
  10. mine — belonging to me
  11. mine — an explosive
  12. fork — in a road
  13. spring — a coil
  14. leaves — of a tree
  15. craft — a handicraft
  16. cabinet — ministers
  17. cabinet — a cupboard
  18. patient — calm and waiting
  19. saw — the tool
  20. patient — a sick person
  21. saw — past of 'see'
  22. spring — of water
  23. spring — the season
  24. craft — boats

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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