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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 116 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: spring · wake · plane · craft · patient · bound · ruler · squash

  1. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  2. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  3. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  4. That was ________________ to happen.
  5. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  6. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  7. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  8. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  9. The ________________ took off on time.
  10. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  11. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  12. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  13. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  14. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  15. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  16. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  17. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  18. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  19. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  20. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  21. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  22. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  23. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  24. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.

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

Answer key

  1. plane — a tool
  2. craft — boats
  3. craft — a handicraft
  4. bound — certain
  5. patient — a sick person
  6. ruler — for measuring
  7. spring — of water
  8. wake — a trail
  9. plane — an aircraft
  10. squash — the vegetable
  11. patient — a sick person
  12. plane — in geometry
  13. bound — obliged
  14. squash — the sport
  15. patient — calm and waiting
  16. spring — a coil
  17. wake — to stop sleeping
  18. craft — a skill
  19. ruler — a monarch
  20. wake — before a funeral
  21. spring — the season
  22. squash — to crush
  23. bound — tied together
  24. ruler — for measuring

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