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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.

Make a worksheet

Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

Words on the sheet
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: dip · field · bear · spell · cabinet · craft · key · chest

  1. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  2. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  3. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  4. How do you ________________ your surname?
  5. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  6. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  7. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  8. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  9. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  10. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  11. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  12. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  13. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  14. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  15. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  16. This piece is in a major ________________.
  17. What do you think of the new ________________?
  18. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  19. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  20. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  21. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  22. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  23. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  24. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.

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

Answer key

  1. bear — to put up with
  2. key — the most important part
  3. field — a subject
  4. spell — letters
  5. chest — of your body
  6. dip — to sink
  7. bear — the animal
  8. spell — magic
  9. chest — of your body
  10. cabinet — ministers
  11. field — for sport
  12. dip — a sauce
  13. craft — a skill
  14. key — for a lock
  15. cabinet — a cupboard
  16. key — in music
  17. cabinet — ministers
  18. field — farmland
  19. bear — the animal
  20. dip — to dunk
  21. craft — boats
  22. spell — a short time
  23. craft — a handicraft
  24. chest — a box

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