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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.

Words on the sheet
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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 · staff · shower · craft · root · wind · bulb · mine

  1. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  2. I've got to change the light ________________.
  3. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  4. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  5. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  6. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  7. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  8. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  9. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  10. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  11. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  12. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  13. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  14. The light ________________ burned out.
  15. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  16. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  17. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  18. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  19. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  20. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  21. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  22. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  23. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  24. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.

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

Answer key

  1. craft — a skill
  2. bulb — for light
  3. craft — boats
  4. wind — moving air
  5. wind — to turn a key
  6. craft — a handicraft
  7. shower — a meteor shower
  8. patient — a sick person
  9. patient — a sick person
  10. root — of a word
  11. shower — to wash
  12. patient — calm and waiting
  13. shower — rain
  14. bulb — for light
  15. staff — a stick
  16. mine — for digging
  17. bulb — of a plant
  18. staff — employees
  19. wind — moving air
  20. staff — employees
  21. mine — belonging to me
  22. root — of a plant
  23. mine — an explosive
  24. root — the cause

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