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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: object · craft · lean · field · bore · can · chest · staff

  1. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  2. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  3. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  4. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  5. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  6. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  7. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  8. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  9. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  10. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  11. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  12. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  13. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  14. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  15. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  16. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  17. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  18. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  19. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  20. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  21. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  22. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  23. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  24. ________________ you help me carry this box?

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

Answer key

  1. staff — employees
  2. lean — to rest against
  3. craft — a handicraft
  4. can — a tin
  5. bore — to tire
  6. craft — boats
  7. field — a subject
  8. object — an aim
  9. lean — to bend
  10. bore — gave birth
  11. lean — thin
  12. bore — to drill
  13. field — farmland
  14. can — a tin
  15. chest — a box
  16. staff — employees
  17. chest — of your body
  18. chest — of your body
  19. object — a thing
  20. object — to protest
  21. staff — a stick
  22. field — for sport
  23. craft — a skill
  24. can — to be able 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