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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: craft · hand · row · staff · field · vault · can · leaves

  1. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  2. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  3. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  4. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  5. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  6. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  7. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  8. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  9. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  10. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  11. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  12. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  13. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  14. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  15. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  16. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  17. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  18. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  19. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  20. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  21. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  22. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  23. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  24. I got dealt a bad ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. craft — a handicraft
  2. vault — a safe
  3. vault — in gymnastics
  4. can — to be able to
  5. field — a subject
  6. row — a line
  7. field — for sport
  8. staff — a stick
  9. craft — a skill
  10. hand — part of the body
  11. row — a quarrel
  12. hand — help
  13. vault — an arched ceiling
  14. leaves — lets stay
  15. can — a tin
  16. staff — employees
  17. staff — employees
  18. leaves — to go away
  19. craft — boats
  20. can — a tin
  21. field — farmland
  22. row — to paddle
  23. leaves — of a tree
  24. hand — in cards

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