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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: kick · clip · shower · hand · pit · patient · stick · craft

  1. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  2. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  3. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  4. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  5. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  6. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  7. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  8. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  9. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  10. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  11. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  12. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  13. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  14. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  15. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  16. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  17. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  18. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  19. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  20. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  21. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  22. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  23. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  24. Do you need a ________________ with that?

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

Answer key

  1. craft — a skill
  2. pit — a fruit stone
  3. stick — to attach or keep to
  4. pit — in a race
  5. kick — in football
  6. clip — for paper
  7. shower — a meteor shower
  8. clip — to cut
  9. hand — in cards
  10. patient — a sick person
  11. clip — a video
  12. patient — a sick person
  13. hand — part of the body
  14. craft — boats
  15. stick — a piece of wood
  16. kick — a thrill
  17. kick — with a leg
  18. pit — a hole
  19. patient — calm and waiting
  20. shower — rain
  21. craft — a handicraft
  22. stick — a piece of wood
  23. shower — to wash
  24. hand — help

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