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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 116 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: straw · field · drill · craft · season · pitcher · cold · stem

  1. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  2. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  3. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  4. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  5. Did you ________________ the meat?
  6. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  7. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  8. He is an ace ________________.
  9. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  10. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  11. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  12. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  13. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  14. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  15. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  16. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  17. The water is too ________________.
  18. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  19. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  20. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  21. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  22. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  23. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  24. Fill up this ________________ with water.

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

Answer key

  1. drill — a practice
  2. cold — the Cold War
  3. field — a subject
  4. stem — a stem cell
  5. season — to add flavour
  6. craft — a handicraft
  7. craft — a skill
  8. pitcher — in baseball
  9. drill — army training
  10. season — of the year
  11. straw — a straw man
  12. stem — of a plant
  13. cold — an illness
  14. pitcher — a jug
  15. stem — to come from
  16. field — farmland
  17. cold — not warm
  18. craft — boats
  19. season — in sport
  20. straw — dry grass
  21. field — for sport
  22. drill — the tool
  23. straw — to clutch at straws
  24. pitcher — a jug

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