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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.

Words on the sheet
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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 · cap · perch · stand · spell · straw · field · ball

  1. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  2. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  3. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  4. How do you ________________ your surname?
  5. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  6. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  7. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  8. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  9. The King held a masked ________________.
  10. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  11. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  12. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  13. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  14. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  15. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  16. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  17. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  18. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  19. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  20. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  21. I can't ________________ this cold.
  22. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  23. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  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. craft — boats
  2. straw — dry grass
  3. perch — for a bird
  4. spell — letters
  5. cap — of ice
  6. cap — a hat
  7. straw — to clutch at straws
  8. ball — a round shape
  9. ball — a dance
  10. cap — a lid
  11. straw — a straw man
  12. spell — a short time
  13. stand — on your feet
  14. field — a subject
  15. perch — the fish
  16. field — farmland
  17. field — for sport
  18. ball — a great time
  19. stand — for spectators
  20. craft — a handicraft
  21. stand — to bear
  22. perch — for a bird
  23. spell — magic
  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