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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.

Make a worksheet

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: craft · calf · cold · rule · wave · field

  1. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  2. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  3. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  4. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  5. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  6. The water is too ________________.
  7. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  8. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  9. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  10. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  11. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  12. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  13. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  14. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  15. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  16. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  17. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  18. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.

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

Answer key

  1. field — a subject
  2. craft — a handicraft
  3. wave — with your hand
  4. field — farmland
  5. rule — to rule out
  6. cold — not warm
  7. wave — a sudden rise
  8. rule — a law
  9. cold — the Cold War
  10. craft — a skill
  11. rule — government
  12. craft — boats
  13. calf — a young animal
  14. field — for sport
  15. calf — of the leg
  16. calf — a young animal
  17. wave — of the sea
  18. cold — an illness

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