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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: cold · tube · craft · pop · cabinet · net · face · patient

  1. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  2. What do you think of the new ________________?
  3. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  4. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  5. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  6. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  7. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  8. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  9. We're almost out of ________________.
  10. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  11. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  12. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  13. You don't need to ________________ round.
  14. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  15. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  16. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  17. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  18. The water is too ________________.
  19. I'll be taking the ________________.
  20. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  21. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  22. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  23. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  24. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.

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

Answer key

  1. craft — a handicraft
  2. cabinet — ministers
  3. tube — in a tire
  4. pop — music
  5. face — to confront
  6. patient — a sick person
  7. net — for catching
  8. face — to point toward
  9. pop — soda
  10. cold — the Cold War
  11. cabinet — a cupboard
  12. tube — a container
  13. pop — to visit
  14. patient — a sick person
  15. net — after costs
  16. craft — boats
  17. face — part of the head
  18. cold — not warm
  19. tube — the underground
  20. cabinet — ministers
  21. cold — an illness
  22. net — in sport
  23. craft — a skill
  24. patient — calm and waiting

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