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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.

Make a worksheet

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: field · craft · cap · safe · chest · patient · bass · mug

  1. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  2. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  3. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  4. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  5. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  6. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  7. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  8. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  9. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  10. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  11. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  12. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  13. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  14. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  15. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  16. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  17. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  18. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  19. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  20. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  21. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  22. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  23. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  24. Where did you ________________ them?

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

Answer key

  1. chest — a box
  2. bass — the fish
  3. chest — of your body
  4. patient — a sick person
  5. cap — a lid
  6. safe — out of danger
  7. safe — out of danger
  8. bass — the instrument
  9. bass — low music
  10. patient — a sick person
  11. craft — a skill
  12. chest — of your body
  13. mug — a face
  14. mug — a cup
  15. craft — boats
  16. field — for sport
  17. cap — a hat
  18. field — a subject
  19. cap — of ice
  20. craft — a handicraft
  21. safe — a strongbox
  22. patient — calm and waiting
  23. field — farmland
  24. mug — to rob

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