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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 116 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: pit · bulb · patient · kick · craft · lash · can · chair

  1. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  2. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  3. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  4. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  5. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  6. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  7. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  8. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  9. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  10. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  11. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  12. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  13. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  14. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  15. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  16. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  17. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  18. The light ________________ burned out.
  19. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  20. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  21. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  22. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  23. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  24. I've got to change the light ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. craft — a skill
  2. craft — a handicraft
  3. kick — with a leg
  4. kick — a thrill
  5. can — a tin
  6. chair — a professorship
  7. pit — a fruit stone
  8. can — a tin
  9. can — to be able to
  10. lash — to lash out
  11. lash — an eyelash
  12. chair — a leader
  13. lash — a whip stroke
  14. chair — to sit on
  15. kick — in football
  16. pit — in a race
  17. patient — a sick person
  18. bulb — for light
  19. craft — boats
  20. bulb — of a plant
  21. patient — calm and waiting
  22. pit — a hole
  23. patient — a sick person
  24. bulb — for light

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