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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 120 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 · fall · safe · wind · court · patient · craft · key

  1. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  2. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  3. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  4. The ball is in your ________________.
  5. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  6. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  7. This piece is in a major ________________.
  8. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  9. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  10. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  11. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  12. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  13. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  14. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  15. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  16. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  17. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  18. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  19. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  20. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  21. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  22. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  23. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  24. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.

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

Answer key

  1. craft — a handicraft
  2. tear — from crying
  3. craft — boats
  4. court — for sport
  5. wind — moving air
  6. court — of a king
  7. key — in music
  8. wind — moving air
  9. patient — a sick person
  10. wind — to turn a key
  11. safe — a strongbox
  12. key — the most important part
  13. safe — out of danger
  14. fall — to drop
  15. craft — a skill
  16. safe — out of danger
  17. fall — the season
  18. tear — from crying
  19. patient — a sick person
  20. key — for a lock
  21. tear — to rip
  22. court — of law
  23. patient — calm and waiting
  24. fall — to drop

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