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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: patient · wind · rush · press · craft · field · cell · bay

  1. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  2. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  3. That must've been a ________________.
  4. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  5. My mare is ________________ in color.
  6. He was locked up in a ________________.
  7. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  8. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  9. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  10. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  11. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  12. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  13. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  14. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  15. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  16. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  17. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  18. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  19. Did you ________________ the button?
  20. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  21. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  22. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  23. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  24. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.

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

Answer key

  1. cell — a phone
  2. bay — a part of the sea
  3. rush — a thrill
  4. wind — moving air
  5. bay — a horse colour
  6. cell — in a prison
  7. rush — hurry
  8. press — a publisher
  9. field — for sport
  10. craft — boats
  11. cell — in biology
  12. field — farmland
  13. bay — to keep at bay
  14. field — a subject
  15. press — newspapers
  16. patient — calm and waiting
  17. wind — moving air
  18. patient — a sick person
  19. press — to push
  20. rush — to hurry
  21. craft — a skill
  22. patient — a sick person
  23. craft — a handicraft
  24. wind — to turn a key

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