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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
468
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 · arm · dip · spring · lie · bark · field · calf

  1. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  2. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  3. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  4. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  5. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  6. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  7. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  8. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  9. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  10. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  11. My father caught me by the ________________.
  12. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  13. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  14. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  15. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  16. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  17. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  18. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  19. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  20. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  21. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  22. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  23. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  24. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.

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

Answer key

  1. spring — a coil
  2. craft — boats
  3. arm — part of the body
  4. spring — of water
  5. field — farmland
  6. dip — to dunk
  7. dip — a sauce
  8. calf — a young animal
  9. lie — an untruth
  10. lie — an untruth
  11. arm — part of the body
  12. craft — a handicraft
  13. calf — of the leg
  14. spring — the season
  15. craft — a skill
  16. arm — a part of something
  17. field — a subject
  18. dip — to sink
  19. calf — a young animal
  20. bark — of a tree
  21. bark — to shout
  22. field — for sport
  23. lie — to recline
  24. bark — a dog's sound

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