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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.

Make a worksheet

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: drill · staff · bay · spring · hand · mouse · perch · craft

  1. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  2. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  3. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  4. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  5. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  6. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  7. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  8. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  9. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  10. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  11. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  12. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  13. My mare is ________________ in color.
  14. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  15. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  16. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  17. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  18. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  19. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  20. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  21. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  22. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  23. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  24. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.

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

Answer key

  1. bay — a part of the sea
  2. perch — for a bird
  3. staff — a stick
  4. hand — part of the body
  5. hand — help
  6. craft — boats
  7. drill — the tool
  8. mouse — the animal
  9. drill — a practice
  10. craft — a handicraft
  11. craft — a skill
  12. spring — the season
  13. bay — a horse colour
  14. perch — the fish
  15. spring — a coil
  16. bay — to keep at bay
  17. mouse — for a computer
  18. staff — employees
  19. staff — employees
  20. mouse — the animal
  21. perch — for a bird
  22. spring — of water
  23. hand — in cards
  24. drill — army training

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