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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 120 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: nail · coach · field · craft · row · lie · rash · pass

  1. Don't do anything ________________.
  2. The ________________ went through the wall.
  3. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  4. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  5. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  6. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  7. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  8. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  9. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  10. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  11. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  12. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  13. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  14. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  15. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  16. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  17. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  18. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  19. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  20. Have you met the new head ________________?
  21. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  22. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  23. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  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. rash — hasty
  2. nail — for a hammer
  3. craft — a handicraft
  4. field — for sport
  5. row — a line
  6. nail — on a finger
  7. rash — on the skin
  8. row — a quarrel
  9. row — to paddle
  10. field — farmland
  11. coach — a trainer
  12. rash — a series
  13. lie — to recline
  14. pass — a permit
  15. craft — a skill
  16. lie — an untruth
  17. pass — to spend time
  18. pass — to succeed
  19. coach — pulled by horses
  20. coach — a trainer
  21. craft — boats
  22. lie — an untruth
  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