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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: cue · craft · degree · field · cabinet · rash · fan · ground

  1. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  2. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  3. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  4. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  5. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  6. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  7. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  8. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  9. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  10. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  11. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  12. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  13. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  14. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  15. There's no middle ________________.
  16. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  17. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  18. What do you think of the new ________________?
  19. Don't do anything ________________.
  20. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  21. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  22. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  23. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  24. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.

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

Answer key

  1. cabinet — a cupboard
  2. field — a subject
  3. fan — to cool the air
  4. rash — on the skin
  5. degree — from a university
  6. cue — a signal
  7. field — farmland
  8. fan — a supporter
  9. degree — an amount
  10. field — for sport
  11. degree — temperature
  12. cue — for pool
  13. cabinet — ministers
  14. fan — a supporter
  15. ground — a position
  16. rash — a series
  17. craft — a skill
  18. cabinet — ministers
  19. rash — hasty
  20. ground — crushed
  21. craft — boats
  22. cue — a hint
  23. ground — the earth
  24. craft — a handicraft

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