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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: arm · staff · craft · capital · field · suit · wound · track

  1. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  2. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  3. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  4. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  5. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  6. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  7. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  8. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  9. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  10. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  11. When will it ________________ you to start?
  12. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  13. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  14. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  15. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  16. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  17. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  18. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  19. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  20. My father caught me by the ________________.
  21. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  22. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  23. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  24. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.

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

Answer key

  1. suit — in cards
  2. arm — part of the body
  3. field — farmland
  4. craft — boats
  5. craft — a handicraft
  6. arm — a part of something
  7. staff — a stick
  8. suit — clothes
  9. capital — money
  10. wound — an injury
  11. suit — to fit
  12. field — a subject
  13. track — a song
  14. track — a path
  15. capital — a city
  16. staff — employees
  17. craft — a skill
  18. field — for sport
  19. wound — an injury
  20. arm — part of the body
  21. track — to keep track
  22. wound — past of 'wind'
  23. staff — employees
  24. capital — a big letter

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