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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: field · season · ground · root · deal · craft · jam · wake

  1. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  2. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  3. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  4. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  5. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  6. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  7. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  8. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  9. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  10. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  11. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  12. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  13. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  14. There's no middle ________________.
  15. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  16. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  17. Did you ________________ the meat?
  18. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  19. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  20. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  21. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  22. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  23. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  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. field — farmland
  2. craft — boats
  3. ground — the earth
  4. ground — crushed
  5. season — in sport
  6. wake — a trail
  7. wake — before a funeral
  8. jam — in traffic
  9. deal — an agreement
  10. jam — to spread on bread
  11. root — the cause
  12. jam — a tight spot
  13. craft — a skill
  14. ground — a position
  15. season — of the year
  16. craft — a handicraft
  17. season — to add flavour
  18. deal — to handle
  19. field — a subject
  20. deal — a big deal
  21. wake — to stop sleeping
  22. root — of a plant
  23. root — of a word
  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