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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: snap · patient · craft · tear · bass · toast · key · present

  1. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  2. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  3. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  4. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  5. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  6. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  7. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  8. This piece is in a major ________________.
  9. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  10. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  11. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  12. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  13. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  14. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  15. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  16. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  17. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  18. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  19. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  20. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  21. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  22. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  23. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  24. Hard work is the ________________ to success.

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

Answer key

  1. patient — a sick person
  2. bass — the instrument
  3. snap — to click
  4. snap — to snap out of it
  5. bass — low music
  6. snap — to speak sharply
  7. key — for a lock
  8. key — in music
  9. patient — a sick person
  10. craft — a skill
  11. present — the time now
  12. bass — the fish
  13. patient — calm and waiting
  14. tear — from crying
  15. craft — a handicraft
  16. toast — bread
  17. tear — from crying
  18. toast — a drink to someone
  19. tear — to rip
  20. present — a gift
  21. craft — boats
  22. present — there
  23. toast — the most admired
  24. key — the most important part

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