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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: field · craft · cell · ground · tear · calf

  1. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  2. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  3. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  4. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  5. He was locked up in a ________________.
  6. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  7. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  8. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  9. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  10. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  11. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  12. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  13. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  14. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  15. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  16. There's no middle ________________.
  17. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  18. Add some ________________ pepper to it.

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

Answer key

  1. field — a subject
  2. calf — a young animal
  3. tear — from crying
  4. field — farmland
  5. cell — in a prison
  6. ground — the earth
  7. field — for sport
  8. cell — in biology
  9. craft — boats
  10. tear — to rip
  11. cell — a phone
  12. tear — from crying
  13. calf — a young animal
  14. craft — a handicraft
  15. calf — of the leg
  16. ground — a position
  17. craft — a skill
  18. ground — crushed

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