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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: wave · field · perch · stem · tube · rash · craft · kick

  1. I'll be taking the ________________.
  2. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  3. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  4. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  5. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  6. Don't do anything ________________.
  7. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  8. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  9. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  10. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  11. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  12. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  13. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  14. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  15. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  16. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  17. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  18. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  19. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  20. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  21. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  22. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  23. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  24. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. tube — the underground
  2. wave — of the sea
  3. stem — to come from
  4. perch — the fish
  5. stem — of a plant
  6. rash — hasty
  7. wave — a sudden rise
  8. kick — in football
  9. rash — on the skin
  10. craft — boats
  11. perch — for a bird
  12. craft — a skill
  13. rash — a series
  14. tube — in a tire
  15. wave — with your hand
  16. craft — a handicraft
  17. perch — for a bird
  18. field — for sport
  19. tube — a container
  20. kick — with a leg
  21. field — a subject
  22. kick — a thrill
  23. stem — a stem cell
  24. field — farmland

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