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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: craft · bore · march · cap · ground · file · field · deal

  1. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  2. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  3. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  4. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  5. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  6. There's no middle ________________.
  7. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  8. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  9. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  10. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  11. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  12. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  13. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  14. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  15. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  16. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  17. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  18. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  19. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  20. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  21. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  22. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  23. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  24. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.

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

Answer key

  1. march — music
  2. bore — gave birth
  3. deal — an agreement
  4. ground — the earth
  5. craft — a skill
  6. ground — a position
  7. deal — to handle
  8. march — the month
  9. field — for sport
  10. file — a tool
  11. craft — a handicraft
  12. cap — a lid
  13. cap — of ice
  14. file — a document
  15. craft — boats
  16. bore — to tire
  17. deal — a big deal
  18. field — farmland
  19. cap — a hat
  20. file — a line of people
  21. march — the month
  22. field — a subject
  23. ground — crushed
  24. bore — to drill

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