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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: nail · cap · chip · plane · field · craft · rush · cabinet

  1. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  2. What do you think of the new ________________?
  3. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  4. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  5. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  6. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  7. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  8. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  9. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  10. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  11. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  12. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  13. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  14. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  15. The ________________ went through the wall.
  16. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  17. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  18. The ________________ took off on time.
  19. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  20. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  21. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  22. That must've been a ________________.
  23. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  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. cap — a hat
  2. cabinet — ministers
  3. chip — for betting
  4. cabinet — a cupboard
  5. nail — for a hammer
  6. craft — a skill
  7. cap — a lid
  8. cabinet — ministers
  9. nail — on a finger
  10. craft — boats
  11. field — a subject
  12. chip — in a computer
  13. plane — a tool
  14. field — for sport
  15. nail — for a hammer
  16. cap — of ice
  17. plane — in geometry
  18. plane — an aircraft
  19. chip — to eat
  20. rush — to hurry
  21. field — farmland
  22. rush — a thrill
  23. rush — hurry
  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