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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 · nail · staff · mine · craft · rash · stem · rush

  1. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  2. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  3. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  4. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  5. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  6. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  7. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  8. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  9. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  10. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  11. That must've been a ________________.
  12. Don't do anything ________________.
  13. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  14. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  15. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  16. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  17. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  18. The ________________ went through the wall.
  19. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  20. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  21. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  22. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  23. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  24. Many English words ________________ from Latin.

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

Answer key

  1. field — for sport
  2. nail — on a finger
  3. craft — a skill
  4. rash — a series
  5. rush — to hurry
  6. rash — on the skin
  7. stem — a stem cell
  8. staff — employees
  9. mine — belonging to me
  10. mine — for digging
  11. rush — a thrill
  12. rash — hasty
  13. staff — a stick
  14. craft — a handicraft
  15. mine — an explosive
  16. field — farmland
  17. field — a subject
  18. nail — for a hammer
  19. nail — for a hammer
  20. rush — hurry
  21. stem — of a plant
  22. staff — employees
  23. craft — boats
  24. stem — to come from

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