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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 from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: mate · craft · land · tear · arm · bowl · spring · bay

  1. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  2. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  3. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  4. My father caught me by the ________________.
  5. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  6. Have you found your soul ________________?
  7. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  8. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  9. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  10. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  11. When are we going to ________________?
  12. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  13. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  14. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  15. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  16. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  17. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  18. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  19. My mare is ________________ in color.
  20. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  21. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  22. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  23. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  24. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.

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

Answer key

  1. mate — to breed
  2. spring — of water
  3. craft — boats
  4. arm — part of the body
  5. bowl — to roll
  6. mate — a partner
  7. bay — a part of the sea
  8. arm — part of the body
  9. spring — the season
  10. bowl — a dish
  11. land — to come down
  12. arm — a part of something
  13. craft — a skill
  14. tear — to rip
  15. craft — a handicraft
  16. spring — a coil
  17. bay — to keep at bay
  18. bowl — a football final
  19. bay — a horse colour
  20. land — ground
  21. mate — a friend
  22. tear — from crying
  23. land — a country
  24. tear — from crying

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