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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 120 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. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  2. Have you met the new head ________________?
  3. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  4. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  5. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  6. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  7. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  8. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  9. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  10. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  11. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  12. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  13. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  14. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  15. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  16. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  17. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  18. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  19. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  20. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  21. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  22. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  23. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  24. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. craft — a skill
  2. coach — a trainer
  3. field — farmland
  4. chair — a leader
  5. chair — a professorship
  6. calf — a young animal
  7. field — a subject
  8. calf — of the leg
  9. coach — a trainer
  10. craft — boats
  11. stem — of a plant
  12. stem — to come from
  13. field — for sport
  14. stem — a stem cell
  15. mouse — the animal
  16. craft — a handicraft
  17. calf — a young animal
  18. chair — to sit on
  19. mine — an explosive
  20. mine — for digging
  21. coach — pulled by horses
  22. mouse — for a computer
  23. mine — belonging to me
  24. mouse — the animal

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