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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: bark · field · craft · mine · charge · hand · rest · band

  1. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  2. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  3. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  4. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  5. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  6. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  7. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  8. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  9. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  10. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  11. The tickets are free of ________________.
  12. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  13. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  14. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  15. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  16. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  17. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  18. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  19. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  20. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  21. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  22. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  23. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  24. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.

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

Answer key

  1. hand — in cards
  2. field — for sport
  3. bark — to shout
  4. craft — a skill
  5. band — a music group
  6. mine — an explosive
  7. field — a subject
  8. band — a rubber band
  9. rest — what's left
  10. band — a ring
  11. charge — a price
  12. charge — in control
  13. rest — what's left
  14. craft — a handicraft
  15. field — farmland
  16. bark — a dog's sound
  17. charge — electricity
  18. bark — of a tree
  19. hand — help
  20. hand — part of the body
  21. craft — boats
  22. rest — a break
  23. mine — for digging
  24. mine — belonging to me

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