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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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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: craft · drill · track · hide · mine · bay · root · deal

  1. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  2. My mare is ________________ in color.
  3. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  4. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  5. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  6. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  7. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  8. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  9. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  10. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  11. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  12. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  13. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  14. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  15. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  16. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  17. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  18. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  19. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  20. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  21. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  22. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  23. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  24. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.

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

Answer key

  1. drill — a practice
  2. bay — a horse colour
  3. hide — to keep secret
  4. deal — an agreement
  5. bay — to keep at bay
  6. hide — animal skin
  7. root — of a plant
  8. drill — the tool
  9. track — to keep track
  10. craft — a skill
  11. mine — belonging to me
  12. root — the cause
  13. hide — to keep secret
  14. mine — an explosive
  15. bay — a part of the sea
  16. track — a song
  17. root — of a word
  18. mine — for digging
  19. deal — to handle
  20. deal — a big deal
  21. craft — boats
  22. drill — army training
  23. track — a path
  24. craft — a handicraft

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