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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: leaves · last · nail · season · can · shower · drill · bay

  1. My mare is ________________ in color.
  2. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  3. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  4. Did you ________________ the meat?
  5. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  6. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  7. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  8. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  9. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  10. The ________________ went through the wall.
  11. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  12. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  13. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  14. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  15. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  16. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  17. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  18. False peace will not ________________.
  19. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  20. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  21. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  22. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  23. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  24. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.

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

Answer key

  1. bay — a horse colour
  2. bay — a part of the sea
  3. drill — army training
  4. season — to add flavour
  5. leaves — to go away
  6. leaves — lets stay
  7. can — a tin
  8. leaves — of a tree
  9. drill — a practice
  10. nail — for a hammer
  11. season — of the year
  12. nail — for a hammer
  13. shower — to wash
  14. bay — to keep at bay
  15. drill — the tool
  16. season — in sport
  17. last — finally
  18. last — to go on
  19. shower — a meteor shower
  20. can — a tin
  21. last — final
  22. shower — rain
  23. can — to be able to
  24. nail — on a finger

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