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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.

Words on the sheet
468
Word bank
YesNo
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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: object · craft · mine · press · safe · board · racket · patient

  1. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  2. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  3. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  4. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  5. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  6. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  7. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  8. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  9. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  10. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  11. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  12. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  13. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  14. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  15. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  16. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  17. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  18. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  19. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  20. Did you ________________ the button?
  21. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  22. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  23. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  24. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.

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

Answer key

  1. object — to protest
  2. mine — for digging
  3. craft — a handicraft
  4. racket — for tennis
  5. mine — an explosive
  6. press — a publisher
  7. patient — a sick person
  8. craft — boats
  9. board — a flat piece
  10. patient — calm and waiting
  11. object — a thing
  12. object — an aim
  13. craft — a skill
  14. mine — belonging to me
  15. board — a committee
  16. racket — for tennis
  17. patient — a sick person
  18. safe — a strongbox
  19. safe — out of danger
  20. press — to push
  21. safe — out of danger
  22. press — newspapers
  23. racket — a loud noise
  24. board — to get on

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