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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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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: toast · mate · patient · rock · hide · branch · craft · kid

  1. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  2. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  3. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  4. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  5. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  6. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  7. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  8. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  9. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  10. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  11. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  12. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  13. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  14. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  15. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  16. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  17. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  18. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  19. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  20. Have you found your soul ________________?
  21. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  22. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  23. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  24. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.

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

Answer key

  1. toast — the most admired
  2. rock — to move gently
  3. rock — a stone
  4. patient — a sick person
  5. toast — a drink to someone
  6. rock — music
  7. craft — boats
  8. patient — a sick person
  9. hide — animal skin
  10. hide — to keep secret
  11. mate — to breed
  12. branch — a division
  13. mate — a friend
  14. kid — child
  15. hide — to keep secret
  16. branch — of a bank
  17. kid — to tease
  18. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  19. craft — a skill
  20. mate — a partner
  21. branch — of a tree
  22. patient — calm and waiting
  23. craft — a handicraft
  24. toast — bread

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