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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 120 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: leaves · wave · chest · land · dip · craft · field · sharp

  1. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  2. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  3. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  4. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  5. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  6. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  7. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  8. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  9. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  10. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  11. When are we going to ________________?
  12. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  13. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  14. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  15. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  16. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  17. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  18. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  19. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  20. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  21. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  22. It's one o'clock ________________.
  23. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  24. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. field — for sport
  2. chest — of your body
  3. craft — boats
  4. field — a subject
  5. craft — a skill
  6. sharp — clever
  7. land — ground
  8. leaves — to go away
  9. wave — of the sea
  10. wave — with your hand
  11. land — to come down
  12. chest — a box
  13. dip — a sauce
  14. craft — a handicraft
  15. sharp — with an edge
  16. leaves — of a tree
  17. dip — to sink
  18. leaves — lets stay
  19. wave — a sudden rise
  20. chest — of your body
  21. dip — to dunk
  22. sharp — exactly
  23. land — a country
  24. field — farmland

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