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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.

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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: spring · cap · rush · lie · drill · march · craft · bark

  1. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  2. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  3. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  4. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  5. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  6. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  7. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  8. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  9. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  10. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  11. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  12. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  13. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  14. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  15. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  16. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  17. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  18. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  19. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  20. That must've been a ________________.
  21. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  22. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  23. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  24. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. march — the month
  2. cap — a lid
  3. march — music
  4. craft — a skill
  5. spring — a coil
  6. march — the month
  7. spring — the season
  8. cap — of ice
  9. drill — army training
  10. craft — a handicraft
  11. bark — to shout
  12. cap — a hat
  13. bark — a dog's sound
  14. lie — an untruth
  15. craft — boats
  16. drill — a practice
  17. rush — to hurry
  18. drill — the tool
  19. spring — of water
  20. rush — a thrill
  21. rush — hurry
  22. lie — to recline
  23. lie — an untruth
  24. bark — of a tree

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