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

Word bank: craft · kick · cell · root · wax · field

  1. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  2. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  3. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  4. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  5. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  6. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  7. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  8. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  9. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  10. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  11. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  12. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  13. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  14. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  15. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  16. He was locked up in a ________________.
  17. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  18. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.

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

Answer key

  1. field — a subject
  2. kick — in football
  3. field — for sport
  4. cell — in biology
  5. wax — in the ear
  6. cell — a phone
  7. root — the cause
  8. root — of a plant
  9. wax — for sculpting
  10. wax — to grow
  11. craft — a skill
  12. kick — with a leg
  13. craft — boats
  14. field — farmland
  15. root — of a word
  16. cell — in a prison
  17. craft — a handicraft
  18. kick — a thrill

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