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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: racket · last · wake · deal · shower · craft · straw · field

  1. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  2. False peace will not ________________.
  3. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  4. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  5. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  6. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  7. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  8. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  9. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  10. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  11. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  12. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  13. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  14. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  15. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  16. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  17. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  18. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  19. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  20. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  21. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  22. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  23. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  24. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.

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

Answer key

  1. deal — to handle
  2. last — to go on
  3. racket — for tennis
  4. field — for sport
  5. shower — rain
  6. deal — an agreement
  7. field — farmland
  8. straw — a straw man
  9. craft — boats
  10. deal — a big deal
  11. last — finally
  12. wake — to stop sleeping
  13. straw — to clutch at straws
  14. craft — a handicraft
  15. wake — a trail
  16. shower — a meteor shower
  17. racket — a loud noise
  18. wake — before a funeral
  19. last — final
  20. shower — to wash
  21. straw — dry grass
  22. racket — for tennis
  23. field — a subject
  24. craft — a skill

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