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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.

Words on the sheet
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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: degree · cold · bank · craft · field · staff

  1. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  2. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  3. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  4. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  5. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  6. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  7. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  8. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  9. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  10. The water is too ________________.
  11. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  12. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  13. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  14. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  15. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  16. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  17. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  18. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.

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

Answer key

  1. cold — the Cold War
  2. craft — a handicraft
  3. craft — boats
  4. field — farmland
  5. field — for sport
  6. staff — employees
  7. bank — of a river
  8. degree — an amount
  9. staff — employees
  10. cold — not warm
  11. staff — a stick
  12. degree — temperature
  13. bank — for money
  14. field — a subject
  15. cold — an illness
  16. bank — for money
  17. degree — from a university
  18. craft — a skill

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