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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. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  2. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  3. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  4. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  5. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  6. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  7. Did you ________________ the meat?
  8. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  9. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  10. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  11. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  12. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  13. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  14. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  15. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  16. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  17. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  18. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  19. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  20. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  21. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  22. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  23. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  24. What was your ________________ profit last year?

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

Answer key

  1. craft — boats
  2. staff — a stick
  3. patient — a sick person
  4. clip — a video
  5. net — for catching
  6. hide — to keep secret
  7. season — to add flavour
  8. hide — to keep secret
  9. net — in sport
  10. season — of the year
  11. leaves — lets stay
  12. craft — a skill
  13. clip — for paper
  14. patient — a sick person
  15. staff — employees
  16. season — in sport
  17. patient — calm and waiting
  18. leaves — of a tree
  19. clip — to cut
  20. craft — a handicraft
  21. hide — animal skin
  22. staff — employees
  23. leaves — to go away
  24. net — after costs

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