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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 · field · craft · foot · stand · hand · leaves · track

  1. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  2. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  3. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  4. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  5. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  6. I can't ________________ this cold.
  7. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  8. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  9. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  10. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  11. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  12. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  13. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  14. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  15. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  16. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  17. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  18. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  19. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  20. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  21. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  22. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  23. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  24. I have a corn on my right ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. craft — a skill
  2. field — farmland
  3. foot — a measure
  4. leaves — to go away
  5. field — for sport
  6. stand — to bear
  7. stand — for spectators
  8. rest — a break
  9. leaves — lets stay
  10. track — to keep track
  11. field — a subject
  12. rest — what's left
  13. hand — part of the body
  14. foot — the bottom
  15. track — a path
  16. leaves — of a tree
  17. stand — on your feet
  18. craft — a handicraft
  19. rest — what's left
  20. craft — boats
  21. track — a song
  22. hand — in cards
  23. hand — help
  24. foot — part of the body

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