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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.

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: patient · squash · cold · chair · firm · mug · craft · leaves

  1. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  2. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  3. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  4. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  5. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  6. Where did you ________________ them?
  7. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  8. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  9. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  10. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  11. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  12. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  13. The water is too ________________.
  14. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  15. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  16. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  17. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  18. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  19. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  20. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  21. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  22. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  23. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  24. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.

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

Answer key

  1. leaves — of a tree
  2. firm — steady
  3. patient — a sick person
  4. squash — the vegetable
  5. craft — a skill
  6. mug — to rob
  7. leaves — to go away
  8. mug — a face
  9. leaves — lets stay
  10. chair — a professorship
  11. firm — a company
  12. craft — boats
  13. cold — not warm
  14. chair — a leader
  15. squash — the sport
  16. mug — a cup
  17. patient — a sick person
  18. cold — an illness
  19. firm — decided
  20. chair — to sit on
  21. craft — a handicraft
  22. squash — to crush
  23. patient — calm and waiting
  24. cold — the Cold War

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