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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
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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: land · craft · nail · cold · last · cap · spell · hide

  1. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  2. False peace will not ________________.
  3. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  4. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  5. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  6. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  7. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  8. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  9. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  10. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  11. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  12. The water is too ________________.
  13. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  14. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  15. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  16. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  17. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  18. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  19. When are we going to ________________?
  20. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  21. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  22. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  23. The ________________ went through the wall.
  24. How do you ________________ your surname?

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

Answer key

  1. hide — to keep secret
  2. last — to go on
  3. craft — boats
  4. spell — magic
  5. cap — a hat
  6. spell — a short time
  7. nail — for a hammer
  8. cap — of ice
  9. cold — the Cold War
  10. craft — a handicraft
  11. last — finally
  12. cold — not warm
  13. land — a country
  14. cap — a lid
  15. hide — animal skin
  16. hide — to keep secret
  17. cold — an illness
  18. land — ground
  19. land — to come down
  20. craft — a skill
  21. nail — on a finger
  22. last — final
  23. nail — for a hammer
  24. spell — letters

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