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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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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: craft · mark · rash · trunk · tear · deal · field · stick

  1. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  2. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  3. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  4. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  5. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  6. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  7. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  8. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  9. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  10. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  11. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  12. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  13. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  14. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  15. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  16. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  17. Don't do anything ________________.
  18. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  19. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  20. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  21. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  22. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  23. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  24. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.

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

Answer key

  1. field — a subject
  2. craft — boats
  3. deal — an agreement
  4. mark — a trace
  5. tear — to rip
  6. mark — to pay attention
  7. craft — a handicraft
  8. trunk — of a tree
  9. craft — a skill
  10. mark — a grade
  11. trunk — of an elephant
  12. stick — a piece of wood
  13. field — for sport
  14. tear — from crying
  15. field — farmland
  16. rash — on the skin
  17. rash — hasty
  18. deal — a big deal
  19. stick — a piece of wood
  20. deal — to handle
  21. rash — a series
  22. tear — from crying
  23. trunk — of a car
  24. stick — to attach or keep to

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