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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: bulb · stick · craft · mate · fine · patient · leaves · chest

  1. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  2. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  3. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  4. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  5. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  6. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  7. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  8. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  9. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  10. I've got to change the light ________________.
  11. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  12. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  13. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  14. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  15. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  16. The light ________________ burned out.
  17. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  18. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  19. Have you found your soul ________________?
  20. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  21. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  22. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  23. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  24. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. fine — high quality
  2. fine — all right
  3. fine — a penalty
  4. chest — of your body
  5. bulb — of a plant
  6. chest — a box
  7. patient — a sick person
  8. patient — calm and waiting
  9. craft — boats
  10. bulb — for light
  11. patient — a sick person
  12. craft — a skill
  13. leaves — to go away
  14. mate — a friend
  15. craft — a handicraft
  16. bulb — for light
  17. stick — a piece of wood
  18. mate — to breed
  19. mate — a partner
  20. leaves — lets stay
  21. leaves — of a tree
  22. stick — to attach or keep to
  23. chest — of your body
  24. stick — a piece of wood

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