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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
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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: last · saw · press · bay · can · spell · content · craft

  1. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  2. How do you ________________ your surname?
  3. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  4. Did you ________________ the button?
  5. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  6. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  7. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  8. He works in a ________________ mill.
  9. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  10. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  11. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  12. She's very handy with a ________________.
  13. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  14. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  15. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  16. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  17. My mare is ________________ in color.
  18. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  19. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  20. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  21. False peace will not ________________.
  22. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  23. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  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. craft — a handicraft
  2. spell — letters
  3. spell — magic
  4. press — to push
  5. craft — a skill
  6. can — to be able to
  7. bay — a part of the sea
  8. saw — the tool
  9. craft — boats
  10. press — a publisher
  11. content — happy
  12. saw — the tool
  13. content — the amount
  14. last — finally
  15. saw — past of 'see'
  16. can — a tin
  17. bay — a horse colour
  18. can — a tin
  19. press — newspapers
  20. content — videos and posts
  21. last — to go on
  22. last — final
  23. bay — to keep at bay
  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