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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: bulb · patient · craft · staff · stick · wake · rush · content

  1. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  2. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  3. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  4. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  5. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  6. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  7. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  8. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  9. I've got to change the light ________________.
  10. That must've been a ________________.
  11. The light ________________ burned out.
  12. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  13. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  14. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  15. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  16. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  17. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  18. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  19. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  20. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  21. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  22. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  23. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  24. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.

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

Answer key

  1. staff — employees
  2. stick — a piece of wood
  3. craft — a skill
  4. patient — a sick person
  5. content — videos and posts
  6. stick — a piece of wood
  7. content — the amount
  8. rush — to hurry
  9. bulb — for light
  10. rush — a thrill
  11. bulb — for light
  12. craft — boats
  13. stick — to attach or keep to
  14. bulb — of a plant
  15. craft — a handicraft
  16. staff — a stick
  17. patient — a sick person
  18. patient — calm and waiting
  19. staff — employees
  20. content — happy
  21. wake — to stop sleeping
  22. wake — before a funeral
  23. rush — hurry
  24. wake — a trail

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