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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.

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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: lean · craft · field · ground · scale · cap · last · coach

  1. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  2. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  3. There's no middle ________________.
  4. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  5. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  6. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  7. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  8. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  9. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  10. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  11. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  12. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  13. Have you met the new head ________________?
  14. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  15. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  16. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  17. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  18. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  19. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  20. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  21. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  22. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  23. False peace will not ________________.
  24. He is as ________________ as a wolf.

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

Answer key

  1. ground — the earth
  2. lean — to bend
  3. ground — a position
  4. craft — a handicraft
  5. craft — a skill
  6. field — farmland
  7. cap — a hat
  8. ground — crushed
  9. last — final
  10. last — finally
  11. field — a subject
  12. cap — of ice
  13. coach — a trainer
  14. coach — pulled by horses
  15. scale — in music
  16. lean — to rest against
  17. coach — a trainer
  18. cap — a lid
  19. scale — for weighing
  20. craft — boats
  21. field — for sport
  22. scale — size or range
  23. last — to go on
  24. lean — thin

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