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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: file · calf · craft · court · board · bass · spell · patient

  1. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  2. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  3. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  4. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  5. How do you ________________ your surname?
  6. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  7. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  8. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  9. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  10. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  11. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  12. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  13. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  14. The ball is in your ________________.
  15. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  16. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  17. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  18. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  19. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  20. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  21. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  22. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  23. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  24. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.

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

Answer key

  1. craft — a skill
  2. spell — a short time
  3. board — to get on
  4. craft — boats
  5. spell — letters
  6. patient — calm and waiting
  7. spell — magic
  8. file — a document
  9. board — a flat piece
  10. court — of a king
  11. craft — a handicraft
  12. bass — the fish
  13. calf — a young animal
  14. court — for sport
  15. file — a tool
  16. calf — a young animal
  17. patient — a sick person
  18. file — a line of people
  19. patient — a sick person
  20. calf — of the leg
  21. board — a committee
  22. bass — low music
  23. bass — the instrument
  24. court — of law

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