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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.

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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: firm · pit · cell · rash · straw · patient · craft · nail

  1. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  2. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  3. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  4. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  5. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  6. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  7. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  8. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  9. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  10. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  11. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  12. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  13. The ________________ went through the wall.
  14. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  15. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  16. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  17. Don't do anything ________________.
  18. He was locked up in a ________________.
  19. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  20. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  21. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  22. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  23. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  24. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. patient — calm and waiting
  2. nail — on a finger
  3. patient — a sick person
  4. cell — a phone
  5. craft — a handicraft
  6. pit — a fruit stone
  7. craft — boats
  8. cell — in biology
  9. pit — a hole
  10. straw — to clutch at straws
  11. nail — for a hammer
  12. firm — decided
  13. nail — for a hammer
  14. pit — in a race
  15. rash — a series
  16. rash — on the skin
  17. rash — hasty
  18. cell — in a prison
  19. straw — dry grass
  20. straw — a straw man
  21. craft — a skill
  22. firm — steady
  23. patient — a sick person
  24. firm — a company

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