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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 116 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: kick · craft · wax · field · march · bank · bat · bowl

  1. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  2. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  3. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  4. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  5. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  6. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  7. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  8. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  9. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  10. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  11. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  12. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  13. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  14. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  15. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  16. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  17. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  18. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  19. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  20. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  21. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  22. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  23. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  24. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.

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

Answer key

  1. craft — a handicraft
  2. wax — in the ear
  3. kick — in football
  4. march — the month
  5. march — the month
  6. wax — for sculpting
  7. craft — boats
  8. field — a subject
  9. bowl — a dish
  10. bank — for money
  11. bat — the animal
  12. bat — in an idiom
  13. kick — with a leg
  14. wax — to grow
  15. bowl — to roll
  16. field — farmland
  17. bank — of a river
  18. craft — a skill
  19. bank — for money
  20. field — for sport
  21. march — music
  22. bat — for baseball
  23. kick — a thrill
  24. bowl — a football final

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