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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.

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: march · bay · craft · drill · temple · wound · pitcher · scale

  1. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  2. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  3. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  4. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  5. My mare is ________________ in color.
  6. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  7. When was this ________________ built?
  8. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  9. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  10. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  11. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  12. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  13. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  14. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  15. He is an ace ________________.
  16. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  17. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  18. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  19. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  20. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  21. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  22. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  23. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  24. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. craft — a skill
  2. pitcher — a jug
  3. drill — army training
  4. drill — a practice
  5. bay — a horse colour
  6. craft — a handicraft
  7. temple — a place of worship
  8. bay — a part of the sea
  9. temple — side of the head
  10. craft — boats
  11. pitcher — a jug
  12. drill — the tool
  13. wound — an injury
  14. wound — an injury
  15. pitcher — in baseball
  16. scale — in music
  17. wound — past of 'wind'
  18. temple — a place of worship
  19. march — the month
  20. march — music
  21. scale — size or range
  22. scale — for weighing
  23. march — the month
  24. bay — to keep at bay

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