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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.

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: season · craft · chair · present · leaves · tear · drill · spring

  1. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  2. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  3. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  4. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  5. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  6. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  7. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  8. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  9. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  10. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  11. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  12. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  13. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  14. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  15. Did you ________________ the meat?
  16. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  17. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  18. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  19. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  20. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  21. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  22. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  23. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  24. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.

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

Answer key

  1. craft — a handicraft
  2. season — of the year
  3. tear — to rip
  4. chair — a professorship
  5. drill — a practice
  6. chair — to sit on
  7. tear — from crying
  8. present — a gift
  9. craft — a skill
  10. present — there
  11. leaves — of a tree
  12. spring — of water
  13. chair — a leader
  14. drill — the tool
  15. season — to add flavour
  16. tear — from crying
  17. present — the time now
  18. spring — the season
  19. leaves — to go away
  20. drill — army training
  21. season — in sport
  22. leaves — lets stay
  23. spring — a coil
  24. craft — boats

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