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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: mate · patient · press · staff · wind · craft · tear · vault

  1. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  2. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  3. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  4. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  5. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  6. Have you found your soul ________________?
  7. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  8. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  9. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  10. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  11. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  12. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  13. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  14. Did you ________________ the button?
  15. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  16. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  17. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  18. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  19. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  20. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  21. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  22. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  23. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  24. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.

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

Answer key

  1. tear — to rip
  2. craft — a handicraft
  3. vault — a safe
  4. staff — employees
  5. patient — calm and waiting
  6. mate — a partner
  7. craft — a skill
  8. tear — from crying
  9. mate — a friend
  10. patient — a sick person
  11. wind — to turn a key
  12. craft — boats
  13. staff — employees
  14. press — to push
  15. staff — a stick
  16. vault — an arched ceiling
  17. wind — moving air
  18. tear — from crying
  19. mate — to breed
  20. patient — a sick person
  21. press — a publisher
  22. press — newspapers
  23. vault — in gymnastics
  24. 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