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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
468
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 · craft · cell · spring · wound · land · patient · lash

  1. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  2. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  3. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  4. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  5. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  6. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  7. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  8. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  9. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  10. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  11. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  12. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  13. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  14. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  15. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  16. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  17. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  18. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  19. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  20. He was locked up in a ________________.
  21. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  22. When are we going to ________________?
  23. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  24. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.

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

Answer key

  1. staff — employees
  2. wound — an injury
  3. spring — the season
  4. spring — of water
  5. lash — to lash out
  6. staff — employees
  7. patient — a sick person
  8. cell — in biology
  9. craft — a handicraft
  10. wound — past of 'wind'
  11. lash — a whip stroke
  12. spring — a coil
  13. wound — an injury
  14. land — ground
  15. cell — a phone
  16. patient — a sick person
  17. craft — boats
  18. lash — an eyelash
  19. land — a country
  20. cell — in a prison
  21. patient — calm and waiting
  22. land — to come down
  23. staff — a stick
  24. craft — a skill

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