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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.

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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 · craft · bass · wake · leaves · stem · field · mate

  1. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  2. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  3. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  4. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  5. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  6. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  7. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  8. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  9. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  10. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  11. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  12. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  13. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  14. The ________________ went through the wall.
  15. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  16. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  17. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  18. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  19. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  20. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  21. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  22. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  23. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  24. Have you found your soul ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. field — farmland
  2. craft — boats
  3. nail — for a hammer
  4. stem — to come from
  5. wake — before a funeral
  6. leaves — to go away
  7. leaves — of a tree
  8. wake — a trail
  9. field — for sport
  10. bass — the fish
  11. leaves — lets stay
  12. field — a subject
  13. nail — on a finger
  14. nail — for a hammer
  15. craft — a handicraft
  16. bass — low music
  17. wake — to stop sleeping
  18. craft — a skill
  19. stem — of a plant
  20. stem — a stem cell
  21. bass — the instrument
  22. mate — to breed
  23. mate — a friend
  24. mate — a partner

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