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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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: wave · stem · craft · spell · field · wind · game · staff

  1. How do you ________________ your surname?
  2. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  3. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  4. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  5. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  6. That was a fun ________________.
  7. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  8. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  9. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  10. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  11. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  12. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  13. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  14. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  15. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  16. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  17. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  18. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  19. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  20. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  21. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  22. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  23. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  24. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. spell — letters
  2. field — farmland
  3. field — a subject
  4. craft — a handicraft
  5. spell — a short time
  6. game — a match
  7. staff — employees
  8. stem — to come from
  9. wave — with your hand
  10. wave — a sudden rise
  11. wind — moving air
  12. wind — to turn a key
  13. field — for sport
  14. stem — a stem cell
  15. wind — moving air
  16. stem — of a plant
  17. spell — magic
  18. wave — of the sea
  19. craft — boats
  20. staff — a stick
  21. craft — a skill
  22. game — a kind of play
  23. staff — employees
  24. game — wild animals

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