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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: bass · craft · can · field · sharp · wound · pit · ground

  1. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  2. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  3. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  4. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  5. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  6. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  7. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  8. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  9. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  10. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  11. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  12. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  13. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  14. There's no middle ________________.
  15. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  16. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  17. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  18. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  19. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  20. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  21. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  22. It's one o'clock ________________.
  23. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  24. This looks like a gunshot ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. field — farmland
  2. can — to be able to
  3. sharp — with an edge
  4. sharp — clever
  5. ground — the earth
  6. pit — in a race
  7. can — a tin
  8. bass — the instrument
  9. wound — an injury
  10. ground — crushed
  11. craft — a handicraft
  12. bass — the fish
  13. pit — a fruit stone
  14. ground — a position
  15. bass — low music
  16. pit — a hole
  17. wound — past of 'wind'
  18. can — a tin
  19. field — for sport
  20. craft — boats
  21. field — a subject
  22. sharp — exactly
  23. craft — a skill
  24. wound — an injury

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