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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 120 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
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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: craft · patient · arm · court · suit · net · trunk · tear

  1. When will it ________________ you to start?
  2. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  3. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  4. The ball is in your ________________.
  5. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  6. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  7. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  8. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  9. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  10. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  11. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  12. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  13. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  14. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  15. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  16. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  17. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  18. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  19. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  20. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  21. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  22. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  23. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  24. My father caught me by the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. suit — to fit
  2. court — of law
  3. tear — from crying
  4. court — for sport
  5. tear — from crying
  6. arm — a part of something
  7. craft — boats
  8. trunk — of a car
  9. arm — part of the body
  10. patient — calm and waiting
  11. net — for catching
  12. net — after costs
  13. suit — in cards
  14. court — of a king
  15. suit — clothes
  16. trunk — of an elephant
  17. tear — to rip
  18. craft — a skill
  19. net — in sport
  20. patient — a sick person
  21. craft — a handicraft
  22. trunk — of a tree
  23. patient — a sick person
  24. arm — part of the body

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