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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 · current · craft · firm · can · cabinet · band · straw

  1. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  2. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  3. What do you think of the new ________________?
  4. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  5. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  6. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  7. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  8. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  9. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  10. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  11. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  12. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  13. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  14. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  15. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  16. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  17. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  18. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  19. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  20. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  21. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  22. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  23. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  24. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.

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

Answer key

  1. craft — a skill
  2. current — of water
  3. cabinet — ministers
  4. firm — a company
  5. band — a ring
  6. straw — a straw man
  7. patient — a sick person
  8. can — to be able to
  9. can — a tin
  10. cabinet — a cupboard
  11. straw — dry grass
  12. craft — a handicraft
  13. band — a music group
  14. craft — boats
  15. straw — to clutch at straws
  16. current — electric
  17. firm — decided
  18. firm — steady
  19. patient — a sick person
  20. band — a rubber band
  21. current — happening now
  22. patient — calm and waiting
  23. cabinet — ministers
  24. can — a tin

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