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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.

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: staff · ball · wave · fork · craft · field · date · bat

  1. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  2. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  3. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  4. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  5. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  6. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  7. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  8. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  9. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  10. The King held a masked ________________.
  11. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  12. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  13. Have you settled on a ________________?
  14. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  15. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  16. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  17. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  18. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  19. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  20. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  21. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  22. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  23. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  24. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. wave — a sudden rise
  2. craft — a skill
  3. date — the fruit
  4. ball — a great time
  5. fork — to eat with
  6. staff — employees
  7. craft — a handicraft
  8. fork — in a road
  9. wave — with your hand
  10. ball — a dance
  11. craft — boats
  12. staff — employees
  13. date — on the calendar
  14. wave — of the sea
  15. ball — a round shape
  16. bat — for baseball
  17. staff — a stick
  18. field — a subject
  19. date — on the calendar
  20. field — farmland
  21. bat — in an idiom
  22. fork — a garden tool
  23. bat — the animal
  24. field — for sport

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