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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: cold · season · patient · roll · last · craft · ball · board

  1. The water is too ________________.
  2. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  3. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  4. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  5. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  6. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  7. False peace will not ________________.
  8. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  9. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  10. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  11. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  12. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  13. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  14. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  15. We're on a ________________ here.
  16. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  17. Did you ________________ the meat?
  18. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  19. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  20. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  21. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  22. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  23. The King held a masked ________________.
  24. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. cold — not warm
  2. patient — a sick person
  3. roll — a list
  4. craft — a skill
  5. board — a flat piece
  6. patient — a sick person
  7. last — to go on
  8. last — final
  9. season — in sport
  10. ball — a great time
  11. craft — boats
  12. cold — the Cold War
  13. board — a committee
  14. board — to get on
  15. roll — on a roll
  16. ball — a round shape
  17. season — to add flavour
  18. patient — calm and waiting
  19. season — of the year
  20. craft — a handicraft
  21. last — finally
  22. cold — an illness
  23. ball — a dance
  24. roll — a cake

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