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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: stick · craft · arm · rock · field · fan · object · chair

  1. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  2. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  3. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  4. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  5. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  6. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  7. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  8. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  9. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  10. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  11. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  12. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  13. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  14. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  15. My father caught me by the ________________.
  16. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  17. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  18. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  19. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  20. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  21. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  22. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  23. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  24. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.

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

Answer key

  1. object — to protest
  2. field — a subject
  3. rock — a stone
  4. stick — to attach or keep to
  5. fan — a supporter
  6. chair — a professorship
  7. chair — a leader
  8. craft — a skill
  9. arm — part of the body
  10. arm — a part of something
  11. field — farmland
  12. chair — to sit on
  13. field — for sport
  14. rock — music
  15. arm — part of the body
  16. stick — a piece of wood
  17. fan — a supporter
  18. object — an aim
  19. fan — to cool the air
  20. craft — boats
  21. rock — to move gently
  22. stick — a piece of wood
  23. object — a thing
  24. craft — a handicraft

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