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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. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  3. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  4. The ball is in your ________________.
  5. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  6. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  7. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  8. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  9. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  10. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  11. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  12. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  13. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  14. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  15. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  16. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  17. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  18. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  19. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  20. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  21. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  22. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  23. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  24. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.

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

Answer key

  1. craft — a handicraft
  2. wind — moving air
  3. patient — calm and waiting
  4. court — for sport
  5. staff — employees
  6. wind — to turn a key
  7. court — of law
  8. craft — boats
  9. wind — moving air
  10. lash — to lash out
  11. staff — a stick
  12. court — of a king
  13. lash — a whip stroke
  14. lash — an eyelash
  15. cap — a lid
  16. craft — a skill
  17. straw — to clutch at straws
  18. cap — of ice
  19. staff — employees
  20. patient — a sick person
  21. straw — dry grass
  22. cap — a hat
  23. patient — a sick person
  24. straw — a straw man

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