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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: last · kid · spring · cue · season · bay · craft · wound

  1. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  2. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  3. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  4. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  5. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  6. False peace will not ________________.
  7. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  8. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  9. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  10. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  11. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  12. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  13. Did you ________________ the meat?
  14. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  15. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  16. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  17. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  18. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  19. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  20. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  21. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  22. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  23. My mare is ________________ in color.
  24. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bay — a part of the sea
  2. bay — to keep at bay
  3. last — finally
  4. wound — an injury
  5. spring — of water
  6. last — to go on
  7. kid — child
  8. craft — a handicraft
  9. craft — a skill
  10. last — final
  11. wound — an injury
  12. craft — boats
  13. season — to add flavour
  14. cue — a signal
  15. wound — past of 'wind'
  16. cue — a hint
  17. spring — the season
  18. kid — to tease
  19. season — of the year
  20. cue — for pool
  21. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  22. spring — a coil
  23. bay — a horse colour
  24. season — in sport

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