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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: tear · trunk · craft · patient · arm · safe · perch · date

  1. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  2. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  3. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  4. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  5. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  6. Have you settled on a ________________?
  7. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  8. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  9. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  10. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  11. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  12. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  13. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  14. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  15. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  16. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  17. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  18. My father caught me by the ________________.
  19. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  20. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  21. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  22. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  23. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  24. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.

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

Answer key

  1. craft — a skill
  2. perch — the fish
  3. craft — a handicraft
  4. patient — a sick person
  5. safe — out of danger
  6. date — on the calendar
  7. date — on the calendar
  8. safe — out of danger
  9. arm — a part of something
  10. patient — a sick person
  11. perch — for a bird
  12. date — the fruit
  13. arm — part of the body
  14. trunk — of a tree
  15. tear — from crying
  16. trunk — of an elephant
  17. trunk — of a car
  18. arm — part of the body
  19. tear — to rip
  20. safe — a strongbox
  21. perch — for a bird
  22. tear — from crying
  23. craft — boats
  24. patient — calm and waiting

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