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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 116 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.

Words on the sheet
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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: craft · ground · coach · pitcher · field · nail · rush · cap

  1. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  2. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  3. He is an ace ________________.
  4. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  5. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  6. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  7. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  8. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  9. That must've been a ________________.
  10. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  11. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  12. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  13. Have you met the new head ________________?
  14. There's no middle ________________.
  15. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  16. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  17. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  18. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  19. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  20. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  21. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  22. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  23. The ________________ went through the wall.
  24. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.

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

Answer key

  1. coach — pulled by horses
  2. nail — for a hammer
  3. pitcher — in baseball
  4. cap — a hat
  5. cap — of ice
  6. coach — a trainer
  7. field — for sport
  8. ground — crushed
  9. rush — a thrill
  10. rush — hurry
  11. nail — on a finger
  12. ground — the earth
  13. coach — a trainer
  14. ground — a position
  15. pitcher — a jug
  16. pitcher — a jug
  17. craft — a handicraft
  18. field — farmland
  19. craft — boats
  20. rush — to hurry
  21. cap — a lid
  22. craft — a skill
  23. nail — for a hammer
  24. field — a subject

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