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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 120 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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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: rush · fork · field · racket · craft · chest · lash · race

  1. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  2. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  3. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  4. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  5. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  6. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  7. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  8. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  9. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  10. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  11. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  12. That must've been a ________________.
  13. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  14. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  15. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  16. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  17. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  18. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  19. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  20. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  21. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  22. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  23. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  24. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.

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

Answer key

  1. chest — a box
  2. race — humankind
  3. craft — a skill
  4. craft — boats
  5. race — a contest
  6. race — the arms race
  7. rush — to hurry
  8. field — farmland
  9. fork — to eat with
  10. rush — hurry
  11. chest — of your body
  12. rush — a thrill
  13. lash — to lash out
  14. fork — a garden tool
  15. lash — an eyelash
  16. field — for sport
  17. racket — for tennis
  18. racket — a loud noise
  19. craft — a handicraft
  20. racket — for tennis
  21. lash — a whip stroke
  22. field — a subject
  23. chest — of your body
  24. fork — in a road

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