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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: mate · bay · bear · date · field · rash · craft · snap

  1. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  2. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  3. Don't do anything ________________.
  4. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  5. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  6. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  7. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  8. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  9. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  10. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  11. My mare is ________________ in color.
  12. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  13. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  14. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  15. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  16. Have you settled on a ________________?
  17. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  18. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  19. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  20. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  21. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  22. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  23. Have you found your soul ________________?
  24. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. craft — boats
  2. craft — a skill
  3. rash — hasty
  4. field — a subject
  5. bear — the animal
  6. field — for sport
  7. date — the fruit
  8. snap — to click
  9. bear — the animal
  10. field — farmland
  11. bay — a horse colour
  12. rash — on the skin
  13. snap — to speak sharply
  14. mate — to breed
  15. date — on the calendar
  16. date — on the calendar
  17. mate — a friend
  18. craft — a handicraft
  19. bear — to put up with
  20. snap — to snap out of it
  21. bay — to keep at bay
  22. rash — a series
  23. mate — a partner
  24. bay — a part of the sea

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