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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: row · hand · chest · pitcher · coach · field · craft · suit

  1. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  2. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  3. Have you met the new head ________________?
  4. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  5. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  6. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  7. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  8. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  9. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  10. When will it ________________ you to start?
  11. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  12. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  13. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  14. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  15. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  16. He is an ace ________________.
  17. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  18. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  19. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  20. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  21. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  22. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  23. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  24. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?

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

Answer key

  1. row — a line
  2. row — a quarrel
  3. coach — a trainer
  4. row — to paddle
  5. craft — a handicraft
  6. hand — part of the body
  7. suit — clothes
  8. chest — of your body
  9. hand — help
  10. suit — to fit
  11. hand — in cards
  12. field — a subject
  13. pitcher — a jug
  14. chest — a box
  15. field — farmland
  16. pitcher — in baseball
  17. field — for sport
  18. pitcher — a jug
  19. chest — of your body
  20. craft — a skill
  21. coach — a trainer
  22. craft — boats
  23. suit — in cards
  24. coach — pulled by horses

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