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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.

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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: lash · staff · spell · kick · craft · hand · field · leaves

  1. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  2. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  3. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  4. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  5. How do you ________________ your surname?
  6. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  7. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  8. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  9. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  10. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  11. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  12. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  13. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  14. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  15. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  16. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  17. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  18. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  19. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  20. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  21. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  22. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  23. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  24. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. hand — in cards
  2. field — a subject
  3. craft — a handicraft
  4. leaves — lets stay
  5. spell — letters
  6. lash — to lash out
  7. kick — in football
  8. staff — employees
  9. hand — part of the body
  10. leaves — of a tree
  11. staff — employees
  12. lash — an eyelash
  13. staff — a stick
  14. spell — magic
  15. lash — a whip stroke
  16. kick — with a leg
  17. field — for sport
  18. spell — a short time
  19. leaves — to go away
  20. craft — a skill
  21. kick — a thrill
  22. hand — help
  23. craft — boats
  24. field — farmland

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