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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: hand · temple · dip · craft · perch · field · kick · cap

  1. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  2. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  3. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  4. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  5. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  6. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  7. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  8. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  9. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  10. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  11. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  12. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  13. When was this ________________ built?
  14. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  15. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  16. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  17. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  18. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  19. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  20. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  21. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  22. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  23. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  24. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.

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

Answer key

  1. cap — a lid
  2. kick — in football
  3. dip — a sauce
  4. field — a subject
  5. kick — a thrill
  6. temple — a place of worship
  7. field — for sport
  8. perch — the fish
  9. craft — a handicraft
  10. dip — to dunk
  11. hand — part of the body
  12. perch — for a bird
  13. temple — a place of worship
  14. craft — boats
  15. hand — help
  16. craft — a skill
  17. kick — with a leg
  18. perch — for a bird
  19. cap — a hat
  20. dip — to sink
  21. hand — in cards
  22. field — farmland
  23. cap — of ice
  24. temple — side of the head

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