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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 120 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.

Words on the sheet
468
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: craft · chest · wake · row · saw · patient · key · pop

  1. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  2. We're almost out of ________________.
  3. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  4. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  5. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  6. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  7. He works in a ________________ mill.
  8. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  9. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  10. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  11. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  12. She's very handy with a ________________.
  13. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  14. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  15. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  16. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  17. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  18. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  19. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  20. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  21. This piece is in a major ________________.
  22. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  23. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  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. saw — past of 'see'
  2. pop — soda
  3. key — for a lock
  4. chest — of your body
  5. row — a line
  6. chest — a box
  7. saw — the tool
  8. wake — a trail
  9. chest — of your body
  10. pop — music
  11. patient — a sick person
  12. saw — the tool
  13. wake — before a funeral
  14. craft — a handicraft
  15. row — a quarrel
  16. wake — to stop sleeping
  17. key — the most important part
  18. patient — calm and waiting
  19. row — to paddle
  20. craft — a skill
  21. key — in music
  22. craft — boats
  23. patient — a sick person
  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