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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: firm · patient · bat · lean · craft · squash · row · field

  1. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  2. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  3. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  4. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  5. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  6. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  7. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  8. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  9. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  10. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  11. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  12. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  13. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  14. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  15. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  16. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  17. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  18. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  19. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  20. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  21. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  22. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  23. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  24. I had a ________________ with my boss today.

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

Answer key

  1. patient — a sick person
  2. row — a line
  3. craft — a skill
  4. craft — a handicraft
  5. bat — in an idiom
  6. field — farmland
  7. firm — a company
  8. squash — the vegetable
  9. patient — calm and waiting
  10. row — to paddle
  11. firm — steady
  12. field — a subject
  13. craft — boats
  14. lean — to bend
  15. patient — a sick person
  16. lean — thin
  17. lean — to rest against
  18. squash — the sport
  19. squash — to crush
  20. field — for sport
  21. bat — the animal
  22. bat — for baseball
  23. firm — decided
  24. row — a quarrel

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