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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: lean · hand · stand · calf · club · craft · can · field

  1. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  2. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  3. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  4. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  5. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  6. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  7. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  8. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  9. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  10. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  11. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  12. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  13. I can't ________________ this cold.
  14. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  15. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  16. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  17. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  18. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  19. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  20. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  21. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  22. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  23. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  24. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.

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

Answer key

  1. can — a tin
  2. club — for dancing
  3. field — farmland
  4. calf — a young animal
  5. can — a tin
  6. club — a group
  7. can — to be able to
  8. calf — a young animal
  9. calf — of the leg
  10. stand — for spectators
  11. field — for sport
  12. field — a subject
  13. stand — to bear
  14. hand — help
  15. lean — to rest against
  16. craft — boats
  17. craft — a skill
  18. lean — thin
  19. hand — part of the body
  20. craft — a handicraft
  21. club — for golf
  22. stand — on your feet
  23. hand — in cards
  24. lean — to bend

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