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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
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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: staff · row · saw · court · craft · press · patient · chest

  1. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  2. He works in a ________________ mill.
  3. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  4. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  5. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  6. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  7. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  8. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  9. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  10. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  11. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  12. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  13. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  14. She's very handy with a ________________.
  15. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  16. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  17. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  18. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  19. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  20. The ball is in your ________________.
  21. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  22. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  23. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  24. Did you ________________ the button?

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

Answer key

  1. craft — boats
  2. saw — the tool
  3. craft — a handicraft
  4. patient — a sick person
  5. saw — past of 'see'
  6. craft — a skill
  7. staff — a stick
  8. press — a publisher
  9. chest — of your body
  10. patient — calm and waiting
  11. patient — a sick person
  12. row — to paddle
  13. court — of a king
  14. saw — the tool
  15. chest — of your body
  16. chest — a box
  17. press — newspapers
  18. staff — employees
  19. row — a quarrel
  20. court — for sport
  21. court — of law
  22. row — a line
  23. staff — employees
  24. press — to push

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