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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: field · nail · craft · branch · season · rush · lean · tear

  1. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  2. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  3. That must've been a ________________.
  4. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  5. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  6. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  7. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  8. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  9. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  10. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  11. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  12. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  13. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  14. Did you ________________ the meat?
  15. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  16. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  17. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  18. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  19. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  20. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  21. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  22. The ________________ went through the wall.
  23. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  24. Spring is a pleasant ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. lean — thin
  2. tear — from crying
  3. rush — a thrill
  4. nail — on a finger
  5. branch — of a tree
  6. field — for sport
  7. field — a subject
  8. rush — hurry
  9. field — farmland
  10. tear — to rip
  11. lean — to rest against
  12. branch — a division
  13. tear — from crying
  14. season — to add flavour
  15. craft — a handicraft
  16. season — in sport
  17. nail — for a hammer
  18. craft — a skill
  19. lean — to bend
  20. craft — boats
  21. rush — to hurry
  22. nail — for a hammer
  23. branch — of a bank
  24. season — of the year

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