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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: craft · cap · field · staff · stick · leaves · cold · bass

  1. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  2. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  3. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  4. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  5. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  6. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  7. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  8. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  9. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  10. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  11. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  12. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  13. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  14. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  15. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  16. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  17. The water is too ________________.
  18. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  19. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  20. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  21. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  22. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  23. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  24. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.

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

Answer key

  1. cold — the Cold War
  2. leaves — to go away
  3. cold — an illness
  4. field — for sport
  5. staff — a stick
  6. stick — a piece of wood
  7. bass — the fish
  8. field — a subject
  9. bass — the instrument
  10. staff — employees
  11. craft — boats
  12. leaves — lets stay
  13. cap — a hat
  14. bass — low music
  15. field — farmland
  16. craft — a skill
  17. cold — not warm
  18. stick — a piece of wood
  19. cap — of ice
  20. staff — employees
  21. leaves — of a tree
  22. cap — a lid
  23. craft — a handicraft
  24. stick — to attach or keep to

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