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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 · race · leaves · fork · hide · craft · rash · stick

  1. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  2. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  3. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  4. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  5. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  6. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  7. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  8. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  9. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  10. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  11. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  12. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  13. Don't do anything ________________.
  14. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  15. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  16. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  17. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  18. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  19. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  20. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  21. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  22. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  23. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  24. I seem to be developing a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. field — a subject
  2. leaves — to go away
  3. hide — animal skin
  4. leaves — lets stay
  5. race — a contest
  6. stick — to attach or keep to
  7. race — the arms race
  8. craft — boats
  9. fork — a garden tool
  10. fork — in a road
  11. field — farmland
  12. craft — a skill
  13. rash — hasty
  14. field — for sport
  15. hide — to keep secret
  16. fork — to eat with
  17. stick — a piece of wood
  18. leaves — of a tree
  19. hide — to keep secret
  20. rash — a series
  21. race — humankind
  22. craft — a handicraft
  23. stick — a piece of wood
  24. rash — on the skin

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