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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: craft · rule · patient · safe · staff · field · row · rush

  1. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  2. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  3. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  4. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  5. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  6. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  7. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  8. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  9. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  10. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  11. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  12. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  13. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  14. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  15. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  16. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  17. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  18. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  19. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  20. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  21. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  22. That must've been a ________________.
  23. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  24. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.

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

Answer key

  1. field — for sport
  2. row — to paddle
  3. staff — employees
  4. craft — a skill
  5. patient — a sick person
  6. rule — government
  7. rule — a law
  8. safe — a strongbox
  9. rush — hurry
  10. row — a quarrel
  11. rule — to rule out
  12. field — farmland
  13. staff — employees
  14. patient — calm and waiting
  15. row — a line
  16. craft — boats
  17. staff — a stick
  18. safe — out of danger
  19. rush — to hurry
  20. patient — a sick person
  21. safe — out of danger
  22. rush — a thrill
  23. field — a subject
  24. craft — a handicraft

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