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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: field · craft · spell · lie · bat · tube · leaves · present

  1. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  2. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  3. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  4. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  5. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  6. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  7. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  8. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  9. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  10. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  11. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  12. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  13. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  14. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  15. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  16. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  17. How do you ________________ your surname?
  18. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  19. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  20. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  21. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  22. I'll be taking the ________________.
  23. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  24. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. lie — an untruth
  2. lie — to recline
  3. leaves — lets stay
  4. field — farmland
  5. craft — a skill
  6. leaves — of a tree
  7. lie — an untruth
  8. bat — in an idiom
  9. craft — a handicraft
  10. craft — boats
  11. field — a subject
  12. field — for sport
  13. bat — the animal
  14. present — a gift
  15. spell — a short time
  16. leaves — to go away
  17. spell — letters
  18. tube — a container
  19. tube — in a tire
  20. bat — for baseball
  21. present — the time now
  22. tube — the underground
  23. present — there
  24. spell — magic

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