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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 120 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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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  2. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  3. Did you ________________ the meat?
  4. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  5. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  6. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  7. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  8. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  9. Have you found your soul ________________?
  10. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  11. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  12. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  13. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  14. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  15. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  16. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  17. The ________________ went through the wall.
  18. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  19. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  20. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  21. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  22. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  23. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  24. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.

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

Answer key

  1. nail — on a finger
  2. nail — for a hammer
  3. season — to add flavour
  4. season — in sport
  5. mate — to breed
  6. mark — a trace
  7. craft — a skill
  8. bark — to shout
  9. mate — a partner
  10. can — to be able to
  11. season — of the year
  12. bark — of a tree
  13. can — a tin
  14. craft — boats
  15. mark — to pay attention
  16. craft — a handicraft
  17. nail — for a hammer
  18. bark — a dog's sound
  19. mate — a friend
  20. can — a tin
  21. drill — the tool
  22. mark — a grade
  23. drill — a practice
  24. drill — army training

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