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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: lash · craft · field · straw · last · nail · pitcher · season

  1. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  2. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  3. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  4. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  5. False peace will not ________________.
  6. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  7. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  8. He is an ace ________________.
  9. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  10. Did you ________________ the meat?
  11. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  12. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  13. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  14. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  15. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  16. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  17. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  18. The ________________ went through the wall.
  19. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  20. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  21. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  22. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  23. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  24. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.

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

Answer key

  1. craft — a skill
  2. craft — boats
  3. straw — dry grass
  4. straw — a straw man
  5. last — to go on
  6. field — farmland
  7. craft — a handicraft
  8. pitcher — in baseball
  9. pitcher — a jug
  10. season — to add flavour
  11. field — for sport
  12. field — a subject
  13. last — final
  14. season — of the year
  15. lash — a whip stroke
  16. lash — an eyelash
  17. last — finally
  18. nail — for a hammer
  19. nail — for a hammer
  20. season — in sport
  21. straw — to clutch at straws
  22. nail — on a finger
  23. lash — to lash out
  24. pitcher — a jug

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