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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 · leaves · craft · rash · tube · race · lash · wave

  1. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  2. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  3. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  4. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  5. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  6. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  7. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  8. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  9. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  10. Don't do anything ________________.
  11. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  12. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  13. I'll be taking the ________________.
  14. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  15. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  16. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  17. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  18. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  19. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  20. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  21. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  22. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  23. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  24. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.

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

Answer key

  1. leaves — to go away
  2. field — for sport
  3. field — farmland
  4. lash — a whip stroke
  5. leaves — of a tree
  6. rash — a series
  7. craft — boats
  8. craft — a skill
  9. race — the arms race
  10. rash — hasty
  11. race — humankind
  12. wave — a sudden rise
  13. tube — the underground
  14. race — a contest
  15. wave — with your hand
  16. lash — an eyelash
  17. rash — on the skin
  18. leaves — lets stay
  19. lash — to lash out
  20. tube — a container
  21. field — a subject
  22. tube — in a tire
  23. wave — of the sea
  24. craft — a handicraft

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