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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: craft · sharp · patient · tube · squash · net · bass · dip

  1. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  2. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  3. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  4. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  5. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  6. I'll be taking the ________________.
  7. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  8. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  9. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  10. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  11. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  12. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  13. It's one o'clock ________________.
  14. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  15. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  16. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  17. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  18. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  19. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  20. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  21. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  22. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  23. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  24. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.

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

Answer key

  1. craft — a skill
  2. sharp — clever
  3. dip — to sink
  4. dip — a sauce
  5. net — in sport
  6. tube — the underground
  7. tube — a container
  8. squash — the vegetable
  9. squash — to crush
  10. patient — a sick person
  11. sharp — with an edge
  12. craft — boats
  13. sharp — exactly
  14. tube — in a tire
  15. bass — low music
  16. patient — a sick person
  17. patient — calm and waiting
  18. net — for catching
  19. net — after costs
  20. dip — to dunk
  21. bass — the instrument
  22. squash — the sport
  23. bass — the fish
  24. craft — a handicraft

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