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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 116 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: drill · saw · racket · cold · craft · wake · season · deal

  1. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  2. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  3. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  4. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  5. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  6. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  7. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  8. He works in a ________________ mill.
  9. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  10. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  11. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  12. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  13. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  14. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  15. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  16. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  17. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  18. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  19. Did you ________________ the meat?
  20. She's very handy with a ________________.
  21. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  22. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  23. The water is too ________________.
  24. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.

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

Answer key

  1. craft — boats
  2. racket — for tennis
  3. drill — army training
  4. drill — a practice
  5. racket — for tennis
  6. season — of the year
  7. wake — a trail
  8. saw — the tool
  9. drill — the tool
  10. season — in sport
  11. craft — a handicraft
  12. deal — an agreement
  13. deal — a big deal
  14. wake — to stop sleeping
  15. craft — a skill
  16. wake — before a funeral
  17. racket — a loud noise
  18. saw — past of 'see'
  19. season — to add flavour
  20. saw — the tool
  21. cold — the Cold War
  22. deal — to handle
  23. cold — not warm
  24. cold — an illness

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