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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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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: lie · mark · coach · band · mate · field · craft · race

  1. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  2. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  3. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  4. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  5. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  6. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  7. Have you found your soul ________________?
  8. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  9. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  10. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  11. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  12. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  13. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  14. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  15. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  16. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  17. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  18. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  19. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  20. Have you met the new head ________________?
  21. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  22. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  23. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  24. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?

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

Answer key

  1. craft — boats
  2. field — for sport
  3. band — a ring
  4. craft — a skill
  5. lie — an untruth
  6. field — a subject
  7. mate — a partner
  8. coach — a trainer
  9. field — farmland
  10. race — the arms race
  11. race — a contest
  12. mark — to pay attention
  13. mate — to breed
  14. band — a music group
  15. race — humankind
  16. lie — to recline
  17. craft — a handicraft
  18. band — a rubber band
  19. lie — an untruth
  20. coach — a trainer
  21. mark — a trace
  22. mark — a grade
  23. mate — a friend
  24. coach — pulled by horses

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