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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: bowl · patient · kid · craft · wake · present · chest · can

  1. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  2. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  3. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  4. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  5. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  6. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  7. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  8. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  9. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  10. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  11. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  12. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  13. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  14. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  15. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  16. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  17. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  18. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  19. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  20. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  21. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  22. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  23. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  24. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. present — a gift
  2. patient — a sick person
  3. craft — boats
  4. wake — before a funeral
  5. can — a tin
  6. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  7. patient — a sick person
  8. chest — of your body
  9. can — a tin
  10. kid — to tease
  11. craft — a handicraft
  12. chest — of your body
  13. chest — a box
  14. wake — to stop sleeping
  15. present — the time now
  16. bowl — a football final
  17. present — there
  18. bowl — to roll
  19. can — to be able to
  20. patient — calm and waiting
  21. craft — a skill
  22. wake — a trail
  23. bowl — a dish
  24. kid — child

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