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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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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. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  2. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  3. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  4. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  5. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  6. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  7. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  8. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  9. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  10. He was locked up in a ________________.
  11. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  12. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  13. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  14. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  15. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  16. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  17. When was this ________________ built?
  18. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  19. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  20. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  21. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  22. He is an ace ________________.
  23. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  24. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.

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

Answer key

  1. field — farmland
  2. cell — in biology
  3. craft — boats
  4. hand — help
  5. leaves — to go away
  6. temple — a place of worship
  7. leaves — of a tree
  8. craft — a skill
  9. field — for sport
  10. cell — in a prison
  11. fall — to drop
  12. hand — part of the body
  13. fall — the season
  14. pitcher — a jug
  15. temple — side of the head
  16. fall — to drop
  17. temple — a place of worship
  18. leaves — lets stay
  19. hand — in cards
  20. field — a subject
  21. cell — a phone
  22. pitcher — in baseball
  23. pitcher — a jug
  24. craft — a handicraft

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