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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: land · rush · craft · pit · pitcher · field · wave · branch

  1. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  2. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  3. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  4. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  5. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  6. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  7. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  8. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  9. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  10. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  11. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  12. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  13. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  14. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  15. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  16. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  17. He is an ace ________________.
  18. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  19. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  20. That must've been a ________________.
  21. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  22. When are we going to ________________?
  23. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  24. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.

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

Answer key

  1. craft — a skill
  2. branch — a division
  3. pit — a hole
  4. wave — of the sea
  5. craft — boats
  6. land — a country
  7. field — farmland
  8. pitcher — a jug
  9. pitcher — a jug
  10. pit — a fruit stone
  11. rush — to hurry
  12. craft — a handicraft
  13. rush — hurry
  14. branch — of a bank
  15. pit — in a race
  16. wave — with your hand
  17. pitcher — in baseball
  18. land — ground
  19. field — a subject
  20. rush — a thrill
  21. wave — a sudden rise
  22. land — to come down
  23. field — for sport
  24. branch — of a tree

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