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

Word bank: patient · deal · craft · cell · mine · bat

  1. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  2. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  3. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  4. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  5. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  6. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  7. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  8. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  9. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  10. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  11. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  12. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  13. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  14. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  15. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  16. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  17. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  18. He was locked up in a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. cell — in biology
  2. craft — a skill
  3. craft — boats
  4. bat — the animal
  5. deal — to handle
  6. mine — an explosive
  7. patient — a sick person
  8. bat — for baseball
  9. deal — an agreement
  10. bat — in an idiom
  11. craft — a handicraft
  12. cell — a phone
  13. patient — a sick person
  14. mine — belonging to me
  15. patient — calm and waiting
  16. deal — a big deal
  17. mine — for digging
  18. cell — in a prison

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