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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 116 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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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  2. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  3. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  4. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  5. I've got to change the light ________________.
  6. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  7. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  8. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  9. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  10. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  11. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  12. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  13. The light ________________ burned out.
  14. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  15. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  16. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  17. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  18. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  19. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  20. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  21. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  22. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  23. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  24. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. field — a subject
  2. craft — a skill
  3. field — for sport
  4. lash — a whip stroke
  5. bulb — for light
  6. lash — to lash out
  7. content — videos and posts
  8. racket — for tennis
  9. craft — a handicraft
  10. lash — an eyelash
  11. fork — a garden tool
  12. craft — boats
  13. bulb — for light
  14. content — the amount
  15. field — farmland
  16. branch — of a bank
  17. bulb — of a plant
  18. content — happy
  19. branch — a division
  20. branch — of a tree
  21. fork — to eat with
  22. fork — in a road
  23. racket — for tennis
  24. racket — a loud noise

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