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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 · foot · tear · can · swing · craft · date · mouse

  1. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  2. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  3. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  4. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  5. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  6. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  7. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  8. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  9. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  10. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  11. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  12. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  13. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  14. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  15. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  16. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  17. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  18. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  19. David sat on the ________________.
  20. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  21. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  22. Have you settled on a ________________?
  23. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  24. Recycle the empty soda ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. craft — a handicraft
  2. foot — a measure
  3. mouse — for a computer
  4. foot — part of the body
  5. tear — to rip
  6. tear — from crying
  7. date — on the calendar
  8. can — to be able to
  9. mouse — the animal
  10. patient — a sick person
  11. tear — from crying
  12. craft — a skill
  13. craft — boats
  14. date — the fruit
  15. patient — a sick person
  16. swing — in golf
  17. swing — music
  18. mouse — the animal
  19. swing — to play on
  20. can — a tin
  21. foot — the bottom
  22. date — on the calendar
  23. patient — calm and waiting
  24. can — a tin

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