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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: saw · drill · chest · wound · craft · bat · mate · cap

  1. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  2. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  3. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  4. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  5. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  6. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  7. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  8. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  9. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  10. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  11. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  12. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  13. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  14. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  15. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  16. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  17. Have you found your soul ________________?
  18. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  19. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  20. She's very handy with a ________________.
  21. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  22. He works in a ________________ mill.
  23. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  24. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. saw — past of 'see'
  2. wound — past of 'wind'
  3. bat — the animal
  4. drill — army training
  5. bat — in an idiom
  6. mate — to breed
  7. cap — a lid
  8. craft — a handicraft
  9. craft — a skill
  10. wound — an injury
  11. bat — for baseball
  12. chest — a box
  13. mate — a friend
  14. drill — a practice
  15. cap — a hat
  16. chest — of your body
  17. mate — a partner
  18. cap — of ice
  19. wound — an injury
  20. saw — the tool
  21. drill — the tool
  22. saw — the tool
  23. craft — boats
  24. chest — of your body

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