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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: rest · club · perch · sharp · field · hand · bore · craft

  1. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  2. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  3. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  4. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  5. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  6. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  7. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  8. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  9. It's one o'clock ________________.
  10. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  11. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  12. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  13. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  14. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  15. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  16. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  17. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  18. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  19. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  20. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  21. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  22. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  23. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  24. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?

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

Answer key

  1. field — a subject
  2. craft — a handicraft
  3. field — for sport
  4. bore — gave birth
  5. bore — to drill
  6. perch — the fish
  7. club — for golf
  8. craft — a skill
  9. sharp — exactly
  10. rest — a break
  11. club — a group
  12. rest — what's left
  13. craft — boats
  14. sharp — with an edge
  15. hand — help
  16. hand — in cards
  17. field — farmland
  18. perch — for a bird
  19. rest — what's left
  20. club — for dancing
  21. sharp — clever
  22. perch — for a bird
  23. hand — part of the body
  24. bore — to tire

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