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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 · dip · staff · craft · cabinet · saw · pop · roll

  1. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  2. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  3. What do you think of the new ________________?
  4. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  5. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  6. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  7. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  8. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  9. We're almost out of ________________.
  10. We're on a ________________ here.
  11. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  12. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  13. She's very handy with a ________________.
  14. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  15. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  16. He works in a ________________ mill.
  17. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  18. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  19. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  20. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  21. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  22. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  23. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  24. You don't need to ________________ round.

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

Answer key

  1. staff — employees
  2. craft — boats
  3. cabinet — ministers
  4. patient — a sick person
  5. staff — a stick
  6. craft — a handicraft
  7. cabinet — ministers
  8. pop — music
  9. pop — soda
  10. roll — on a roll
  11. dip — to dunk
  12. roll — a list
  13. saw — the tool
  14. craft — a skill
  15. dip — to sink
  16. saw — the tool
  17. patient — a sick person
  18. cabinet — a cupboard
  19. patient — calm and waiting
  20. roll — a cake
  21. dip — a sauce
  22. staff — employees
  23. saw — past of 'see'
  24. pop — to visit

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