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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: cold · season · calf · bowl · field · craft · face · arm

  1. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  2. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  3. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  4. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  5. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  6. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  7. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  8. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  9. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  10. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  11. My father caught me by the ________________.
  12. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  13. Did you ________________ the meat?
  14. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  15. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  16. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  17. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  18. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  19. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  20. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  21. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  22. The water is too ________________.
  23. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  24. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.

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

Answer key

  1. craft — a skill
  2. field — farmland
  3. calf — of the leg
  4. craft — a handicraft
  5. craft — boats
  6. bowl — a football final
  7. field — for sport
  8. field — a subject
  9. season — in sport
  10. face — part of the head
  11. arm — part of the body
  12. arm — part of the body
  13. season — to add flavour
  14. arm — a part of something
  15. calf — a young animal
  16. cold — an illness
  17. face — to point toward
  18. face — to confront
  19. season — of the year
  20. cold — the Cold War
  21. calf — a young animal
  22. cold — not warm
  23. bowl — a dish
  24. bowl — to roll

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