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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. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  2. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  3. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  4. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  5. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  6. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  7. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  8. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  9. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  10. Did you ________________ the meat?
  11. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  12. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  13. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  14. How do you ________________ your surname?
  15. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  16. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  17. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  18. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  19. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  20. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  21. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  22. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  23. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  24. The ________________ went through the wall.

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

Answer key

  1. craft — a skill
  2. spring — a coil
  3. season — of the year
  4. chest — of your body
  5. spring — the season
  6. chest — of your body
  7. kick — a thrill
  8. craft — boats
  9. bore — to drill
  10. season — to add flavour
  11. chest — a box
  12. season — in sport
  13. kick — in football
  14. spell — letters
  15. spell — magic
  16. craft — a handicraft
  17. bore — gave birth
  18. bore — to tire
  19. kick — with a leg
  20. spring — of water
  21. nail — on a finger
  22. nail — for a hammer
  23. spell — a short time
  24. nail — for a hammer

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