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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 120 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: sharp · chest · bank · field · craft · cabinet · face · bat

  1. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  2. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  3. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  4. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  5. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  6. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  7. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  8. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  9. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  10. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  11. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  12. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  13. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  14. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  15. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  16. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  17. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  18. It's one o'clock ________________.
  19. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  20. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  21. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  22. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  23. What do you think of the new ________________?
  24. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.

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

Answer key

  1. bat — for baseball
  2. chest — a box
  3. bank — for money
  4. craft — boats
  5. face — to confront
  6. chest — of your body
  7. bat — the animal
  8. bank — of a river
  9. craft — a handicraft
  10. field — farmland
  11. cabinet — a cupboard
  12. craft — a skill
  13. face — to point toward
  14. sharp — clever
  15. sharp — with an edge
  16. bank — for money
  17. field — for sport
  18. sharp — exactly
  19. bat — in an idiom
  20. face — part of the head
  21. chest — of your body
  22. field — a subject
  23. cabinet — ministers
  24. cabinet — ministers

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