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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: patient · season · track · chair · hand · craft · nail · cell

  1. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  2. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  3. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  4. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  5. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  6. The ________________ went through the wall.
  7. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  8. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  9. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  10. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  11. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  12. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  13. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  14. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  15. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  16. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  17. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  18. He was locked up in a ________________.
  19. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  20. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  21. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  22. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  23. Did you ________________ the meat?
  24. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.

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

Answer key

  1. track — a path
  2. patient — a sick person
  3. craft — boats
  4. chair — a leader
  5. nail — for a hammer
  6. nail — for a hammer
  7. track — to keep track
  8. cell — in biology
  9. craft — a skill
  10. season — in sport
  11. chair — a professorship
  12. nail — on a finger
  13. hand — part of the body
  14. patient — calm and waiting
  15. patient — a sick person
  16. hand — in cards
  17. craft — a handicraft
  18. cell — in a prison
  19. hand — help
  20. chair — to sit on
  21. cell — a phone
  22. season — of the year
  23. season — to add flavour
  24. track — a song

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