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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: press · racket · patient · fine · wax · kid · craft · fork

  1. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  2. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  3. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  4. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  5. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  6. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  7. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  8. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  9. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  10. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  11. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  12. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  13. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  14. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  15. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  16. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  17. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  18. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  19. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  20. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  21. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  22. Did you ________________ the button?
  23. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  24. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.

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

Answer key

  1. kid — to tease
  2. racket — for tennis
  3. craft — a skill
  4. fork — to eat with
  5. craft — a handicraft
  6. wax — to grow
  7. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  8. fine — all right
  9. patient — a sick person
  10. patient — calm and waiting
  11. craft — boats
  12. racket — a loud noise
  13. fork — a garden tool
  14. wax — for sculpting
  15. fork — in a road
  16. racket — for tennis
  17. fine — a penalty
  18. press — newspapers
  19. patient — a sick person
  20. kid — child
  21. fine — high quality
  22. press — to push
  23. wax — in the ear
  24. press — a publisher

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