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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 116 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: wind · craft · patient · mark · tear · rash

  1. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  2. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  3. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  4. Don't do anything ________________.
  5. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  6. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  7. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  8. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  9. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  10. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  11. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  12. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  13. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  14. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  15. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  16. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  17. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  18. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.

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

Answer key

  1. mark — a trace
  2. craft — a handicraft
  3. craft — boats
  4. rash — hasty
  5. patient — calm and waiting
  6. craft — a skill
  7. rash — on the skin
  8. tear — to rip
  9. patient — a sick person
  10. mark — to pay attention
  11. tear — from crying
  12. wind — to turn a key
  13. rash — a series
  14. mark — a grade
  15. wind — moving air
  16. patient — a sick person
  17. tear — from crying
  18. wind — moving air

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