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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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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 · craft · deal · press · bore · band · court · bay

  1. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  2. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  3. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  4. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  5. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  6. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  7. My mare is ________________ in color.
  8. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  9. The ball is in your ________________.
  10. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  11. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  12. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  13. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  14. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  15. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  16. Did you ________________ the button?
  17. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  18. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  19. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  20. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  21. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  22. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  23. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  24. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. press — a publisher
  2. bore — to drill
  3. bay — a part of the sea
  4. craft — boats
  5. patient — calm and waiting
  6. bore — to tire
  7. bay — a horse colour
  8. bore — gave birth
  9. court — for sport
  10. band — a rubber band
  11. band — a music group
  12. craft — a handicraft
  13. deal — to handle
  14. bay — to keep at bay
  15. court — of law
  16. press — to push
  17. deal — an agreement
  18. court — of a king
  19. deal — a big deal
  20. craft — a skill
  21. press — newspapers
  22. patient — a sick person
  23. patient — a sick person
  24. band — a ring

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