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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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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: safe · stem · fine · ball · field · craft · spring · last

  1. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  2. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  3. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  4. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  5. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  6. The King held a masked ________________.
  7. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  8. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  9. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  10. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  11. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  12. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  13. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  14. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  15. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  16. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  17. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  18. False peace will not ________________.
  19. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  20. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  21. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  22. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  23. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  24. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. craft — a handicraft
  2. craft — boats
  3. stem — to come from
  4. field — for sport
  5. field — farmland
  6. ball — a dance
  7. fine — all right
  8. stem — of a plant
  9. fine — a penalty
  10. spring — a coil
  11. ball — a great time
  12. fine — high quality
  13. last — final
  14. safe — out of danger
  15. safe — a strongbox
  16. last — finally
  17. craft — a skill
  18. last — to go on
  19. spring — the season
  20. stem — a stem cell
  21. field — a subject
  22. safe — out of danger
  23. ball — a round shape
  24. spring — of water

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