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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.

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: spring · trunk · chest · drill · nail · craft · bay · fan

  1. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  2. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  3. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  4. My mare is ________________ in color.
  5. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  6. The ________________ went through the wall.
  7. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  8. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  9. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  10. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  11. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  12. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  13. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  14. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  15. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  16. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  17. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  18. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  19. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  20. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  21. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  22. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  23. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  24. I've got the luggage in my ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. chest — of your body
  2. bay — to keep at bay
  3. bay — a part of the sea
  4. bay — a horse colour
  5. fan — to cool the air
  6. nail — for a hammer
  7. fan — a supporter
  8. drill — army training
  9. craft — a skill
  10. chest — a box
  11. nail — on a finger
  12. spring — a coil
  13. craft — a handicraft
  14. drill — the tool
  15. craft — boats
  16. fan — a supporter
  17. spring — of water
  18. trunk — of an elephant
  19. nail — for a hammer
  20. chest — of your body
  21. trunk — of a tree
  22. spring — the season
  23. drill — a practice
  24. trunk — of a car

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