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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 · net · lean · track · band · perch · last · field

  1. False peace will not ________________.
  2. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  3. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  4. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  5. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  6. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  7. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  8. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  9. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  10. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  11. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  12. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  13. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  14. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  15. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  16. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  17. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  18. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  19. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  20. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  21. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  22. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  23. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  24. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. last — to go on
  2. field — a subject
  3. net — for catching
  4. lean — to rest against
  5. net — after costs
  6. band — a rubber band
  7. band — a ring
  8. field — farmland
  9. track — a path
  10. track — a song
  11. perch — the fish
  12. net — in sport
  13. last — final
  14. lean — thin
  15. track — to keep track
  16. craft — a skill
  17. field — for sport
  18. craft — boats
  19. lean — to bend
  20. perch — for a bird
  21. perch — for a bird
  22. last — finally
  23. craft — a handicraft
  24. band — a music group

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