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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.

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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: wake · spell · bay · craft · pitch · chip · tear · nail

  1. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  2. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  3. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  4. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  5. How do you ________________ your surname?
  6. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  7. The ________________ went through the wall.
  8. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  9. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  10. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  11. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  12. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  13. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  14. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  15. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  16. My mare is ________________ in color.
  17. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  18. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  19. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  20. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  21. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  22. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  23. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  24. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.

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

Answer key

  1. tear — from crying
  2. bay — to keep at bay
  3. chip — to eat
  4. chip — for betting
  5. spell — letters
  6. pitch — a sports field
  7. nail — for a hammer
  8. spell — magic
  9. nail — for a hammer
  10. tear — from crying
  11. wake — before a funeral
  12. craft — a skill
  13. pitch — a sales talk
  14. wake — to stop sleeping
  15. chip — in a computer
  16. bay — a horse colour
  17. tear — to rip
  18. craft — a handicraft
  19. spell — a short time
  20. bay — a part of the sea
  21. wake — a trail
  22. nail — on a finger
  23. craft — boats
  24. pitch — completely

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