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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: tear · board · craft · race · kick · patient · wind · straw

  1. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  2. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  3. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  4. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  5. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  6. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  7. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  8. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  9. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  10. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  11. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  12. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  13. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  14. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  15. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  16. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  17. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  18. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  19. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  20. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  21. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  22. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  23. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  24. ________________ games are popular in Germany.

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

Answer key

  1. kick — a thrill
  2. board — to get on
  3. straw — dry grass
  4. board — a committee
  5. patient — a sick person
  6. patient — a sick person
  7. straw — a straw man
  8. wind — moving air
  9. patient — calm and waiting
  10. tear — from crying
  11. race — humankind
  12. kick — in football
  13. straw — to clutch at straws
  14. craft — a handicraft
  15. race — a contest
  16. tear — from crying
  17. kick — with a leg
  18. race — the arms race
  19. wind — to turn a key
  20. wind — moving air
  21. craft — boats
  22. craft — a skill
  23. tear — to rip
  24. board — a flat piece

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