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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: craft · lie · season · spell · branch · straw · drill · mug

  1. Did you ________________ the meat?
  2. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  3. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  4. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  5. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  6. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  7. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  8. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  9. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  10. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  11. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  12. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  13. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  14. How do you ________________ your surname?
  15. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  16. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  17. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  18. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  19. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  20. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  21. Where did you ________________ them?
  22. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  23. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  24. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.

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

Answer key

  1. season — to add flavour
  2. mug — a face
  3. lie — an untruth
  4. lie — an untruth
  5. season — of the year
  6. straw — a straw man
  7. craft — a skill
  8. spell — magic
  9. drill — the tool
  10. drill — a practice
  11. lie — to recline
  12. branch — a division
  13. straw — dry grass
  14. spell — letters
  15. craft — boats
  16. season — in sport
  17. branch — of a bank
  18. mug — a cup
  19. craft — a handicraft
  20. straw — to clutch at straws
  21. mug — to rob
  22. branch — of a tree
  23. drill — army training
  24. spell — a short time

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