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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 116 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: hand · scale · craft · stand · perch · stem · field · ball

  1. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  2. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  3. The King held a masked ________________.
  4. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  5. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  6. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  7. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  8. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  9. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  10. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  11. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  12. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  13. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  14. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  15. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  16. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  17. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  18. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  19. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  20. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  21. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  22. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  23. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  24. I can't ________________ this cold.

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

Answer key

  1. stem — to come from
  2. perch — the fish
  3. ball — a dance
  4. hand — part of the body
  5. stand — for spectators
  6. ball — a great time
  7. hand — in cards
  8. stem — a stem cell
  9. perch — for a bird
  10. craft — a skill
  11. scale — for weighing
  12. field — farmland
  13. craft — boats
  14. field — for sport
  15. stem — of a plant
  16. scale — in music
  17. perch — for a bird
  18. stand — on your feet
  19. hand — help
  20. ball — a round shape
  21. field — a subject
  22. scale — size or range
  23. craft — a handicraft
  24. stand — to bear

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