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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: vault · arm · game · mine · field · craft · cap · perch

  1. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  2. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  3. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  4. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  5. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  6. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  7. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  8. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  9. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  10. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  11. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  12. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  13. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  14. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  15. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  16. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  17. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  18. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  19. That was a fun ________________.
  20. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  21. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  22. My father caught me by the ________________.
  23. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  24. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. craft — a skill
  2. game — wild animals
  3. craft — a handicraft
  4. mine — an explosive
  5. arm — part of the body
  6. field — a subject
  7. vault — an arched ceiling
  8. vault — a safe
  9. cap — a hat
  10. perch — for a bird
  11. mine — belonging to me
  12. field — farmland
  13. game — a kind of play
  14. perch — for a bird
  15. craft — boats
  16. cap — of ice
  17. cap — a lid
  18. vault — in gymnastics
  19. game — a match
  20. perch — the fish
  21. arm — a part of something
  22. arm — part of the body
  23. mine — for digging
  24. field — for sport

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