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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
468
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: bay · bat · stand · bulb · craft · march · drill · spell

  1. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  2. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  3. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  4. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  5. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  6. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  7. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  8. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  9. My mare is ________________ in color.
  10. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  11. How do you ________________ your surname?
  12. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  13. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  14. I've got to change the light ________________.
  15. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  16. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  17. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  18. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  19. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  20. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  21. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  22. I can't ________________ this cold.
  23. The light ________________ burned out.
  24. We had a fire ________________ at school today.

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

Answer key

  1. bay — to keep at bay
  2. craft — boats
  3. spell — magic
  4. stand — for spectators
  5. spell — a short time
  6. bat — for baseball
  7. march — the month
  8. bat — the animal
  9. bay — a horse colour
  10. bay — a part of the sea
  11. spell — letters
  12. bulb — of a plant
  13. march — the month
  14. bulb — for light
  15. craft — a skill
  16. drill — army training
  17. march — music
  18. stand — on your feet
  19. bat — in an idiom
  20. drill — the tool
  21. craft — a handicraft
  22. stand — to bear
  23. bulb — for light
  24. drill — a practice

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