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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. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  2. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  3. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  4. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  5. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  6. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  7. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  8. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  9. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  10. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  11. Don't do anything ________________.
  12. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  13. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  14. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  15. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  16. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  17. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  18. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  19. What do you think of the new ________________?
  20. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  21. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  22. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  23. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  24. A black ________________ roamed the forest.

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

Answer key

  1. craft — boats
  2. field — farmland
  3. field — for sport
  4. rash — a series
  5. cabinet — ministers
  6. field — a subject
  7. rash — on the skin
  8. hand — part of the body
  9. craft — a skill
  10. dip — a sauce
  11. rash — hasty
  12. cabinet — a cupboard
  13. rock — to move gently
  14. hand — help
  15. hand — in cards
  16. dip — to sink
  17. rock — a stone
  18. bear — to put up with
  19. cabinet — ministers
  20. dip — to dunk
  21. rock — music
  22. bear — the animal
  23. craft — a handicraft
  24. bear — 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