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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: craft · cold · wave · drill · stock · bowl · bat · cell

  1. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  2. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  3. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  4. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  5. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  6. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  7. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  8. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  9. He was locked up in a ________________.
  10. The water is too ________________.
  11. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  12. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  13. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  14. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  15. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  16. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  17. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  18. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  19. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  20. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  21. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  22. The ________________ market has crashed.
  23. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  24. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.

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

Answer key

  1. cell — in biology
  2. bat — in an idiom
  3. drill — a practice
  4. wave — of the sea
  5. bat — for baseball
  6. stock — a soup base
  7. drill — army training
  8. cold — the Cold War
  9. cell — in a prison
  10. cold — not warm
  11. stock — goods
  12. bowl — to roll
  13. cold — an illness
  14. craft — a skill
  15. bat — the animal
  16. wave — a sudden rise
  17. bowl — a dish
  18. drill — the tool
  19. bowl — a football final
  20. cell — a phone
  21. wave — with your hand
  22. stock — shares
  23. craft — a handicraft
  24. craft — boats

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