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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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 · field · game · perch · press · scale · stem · stick

  1. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  2. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  3. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  4. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  5. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  6. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  7. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  8. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  9. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  10. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  11. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  12. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  13. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  14. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  15. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  16. That was a fun ________________.
  17. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  18. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  19. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  20. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  21. Did you ________________ the button?
  22. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  23. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  24. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. stem — a stem cell
  2. press — a publisher
  3. craft — a skill
  4. scale — size or range
  5. scale — for weighing
  6. stick — a piece of wood
  7. craft — boats
  8. game — a kind of play
  9. field — farmland
  10. stem — to come from
  11. scale — in music
  12. field — a subject
  13. perch — the fish
  14. press — newspapers
  15. perch — for a bird
  16. game — a match
  17. stem — of a plant
  18. stick — to attach or keep to
  19. stick — a piece of wood
  20. perch — for a bird
  21. press — to push
  22. field — for sport
  23. craft — a handicraft
  24. game — wild animals

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