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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 120 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: coach · spring · patient · bear · cell · stand · craft · ground

  1. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  2. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  3. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  4. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  5. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  6. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  7. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  8. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  9. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  10. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  11. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  12. I can't ________________ this cold.
  13. He was locked up in a ________________.
  14. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  15. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  16. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  17. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  18. There's no middle ________________.
  19. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  20. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  21. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  22. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  23. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  24. Have you met the new head ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. craft — a skill
  2. bear — the animal
  3. craft — boats
  4. spring — the season
  5. bear — the animal
  6. spring — a coil
  7. spring — of water
  8. patient — calm and waiting
  9. patient — a sick person
  10. ground — the earth
  11. patient — a sick person
  12. stand — to bear
  13. cell — in a prison
  14. coach — a trainer
  15. bear — to put up with
  16. coach — pulled by horses
  17. cell — in biology
  18. ground — a position
  19. stand — for spectators
  20. craft — a handicraft
  21. ground — crushed
  22. stand — on your feet
  23. cell — a phone
  24. coach — a trainer

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