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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: trunk · mine · field · bear · fine · craft · ball · rash

  1. Don't do anything ________________.
  2. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  3. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  4. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  5. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  6. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  7. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  8. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  9. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  10. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  11. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  12. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  13. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  14. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  15. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  16. The King held a masked ________________.
  17. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  18. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  19. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  20. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  21. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  22. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  23. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  24. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.

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

Answer key

  1. rash — hasty
  2. rash — a series
  3. craft — boats
  4. mine — for digging
  5. ball — a great time
  6. bear — to put up with
  7. ball — a round shape
  8. craft — a skill
  9. fine — all right
  10. trunk — of a car
  11. field — farmland
  12. mine — an explosive
  13. field — for sport
  14. trunk — of an elephant
  15. mine — belonging to me
  16. ball — a dance
  17. field — a subject
  18. rash — on the skin
  19. trunk — of a tree
  20. craft — a handicraft
  21. bear — the animal
  22. fine — high quality
  23. bear — the animal
  24. fine — a penalty

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