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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: row · stem · ball · dip · craft · field · mug · snap

  1. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  2. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  3. Where did you ________________ them?
  4. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  5. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  6. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  7. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  8. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  9. The King held a masked ________________.
  10. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  11. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  12. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  13. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  14. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  15. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  16. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  17. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  18. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  19. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  20. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  21. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  22. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  23. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  24. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.

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

Answer key

  1. ball — a great time
  2. field — a subject
  3. mug — to rob
  4. field — farmland
  5. stem — of a plant
  6. stem — to come from
  7. field — for sport
  8. craft — a skill
  9. ball — a dance
  10. row — a quarrel
  11. mug — a cup
  12. craft — a handicraft
  13. row — to paddle
  14. snap — to snap out of it
  15. snap — to click
  16. dip — a sauce
  17. stem — a stem cell
  18. mug — a face
  19. dip — to dunk
  20. row — a line
  21. dip — to sink
  22. craft — boats
  23. ball — a round shape
  24. snap — to speak sharply

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