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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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Word bank
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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: straw · bank · craft · patient · rule · bowl

  1. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  2. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  3. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  4. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  5. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  6. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  7. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  8. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  9. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  10. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  11. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  12. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  13. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  14. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  15. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  16. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  17. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  18. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?

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

Answer key

  1. patient — calm and waiting
  2. bowl — a football final
  3. rule — to rule out
  4. bowl — to roll
  5. bank — for money
  6. craft — a handicraft
  7. bowl — a dish
  8. craft — a skill
  9. straw — a straw man
  10. bank — of a river
  11. straw — to clutch at straws
  12. craft — boats
  13. bank — for money
  14. rule — a law
  15. patient — a sick person
  16. straw — dry grass
  17. patient — a sick person
  18. rule — government

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