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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: chip · vault · field · spell · hand · chest · wake · craft

  1. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  2. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  3. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  4. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  5. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  6. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  7. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  8. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  9. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  10. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  11. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  12. How do you ________________ your surname?
  13. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  14. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  15. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  16. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  17. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  18. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  19. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  20. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  21. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  22. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  23. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  24. There's a computer ________________ on the table.

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

Answer key

  1. wake — a trail
  2. field — for sport
  3. hand — part of the body
  4. craft — boats
  5. field — farmland
  6. wake — before a funeral
  7. spell — a short time
  8. hand — help
  9. craft — a handicraft
  10. craft — a skill
  11. chest — of your body
  12. spell — letters
  13. vault — a safe
  14. chest — a box
  15. chest — of your body
  16. spell — magic
  17. hand — in cards
  18. vault — in gymnastics
  19. chip — to eat
  20. vault — an arched ceiling
  21. wake — to stop sleeping
  22. chip — for betting
  23. field — a subject
  24. chip — in a computer

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