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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: temple · race · field · craft · spell · roll · cabinet · stock

  1. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  2. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  3. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  4. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  5. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  6. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  7. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  8. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  9. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  10. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  11. How do you ________________ your surname?
  12. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  13. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  14. When was this ________________ built?
  15. What do you think of the new ________________?
  16. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  17. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  18. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  19. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  20. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  21. We're on a ________________ here.
  22. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  23. The ________________ market has crashed.
  24. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. craft — a handicraft
  2. field — a subject
  3. stock — goods
  4. temple — side of the head
  5. field — farmland
  6. craft — boats
  7. craft — a skill
  8. temple — a place of worship
  9. race — the arms race
  10. roll — a list
  11. spell — letters
  12. stock — a soup base
  13. roll — a cake
  14. temple — a place of worship
  15. cabinet — ministers
  16. spell — a short time
  17. field — for sport
  18. cabinet — ministers
  19. spell — magic
  20. race — a contest
  21. roll — on a roll
  22. cabinet — a cupboard
  23. stock — shares
  24. race — humankind

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