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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: cold · mug · craft · stock · drill · file · season · pound

  1. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  2. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  3. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  4. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  5. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  6. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  7. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  8. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  9. The water is too ________________.
  10. The ________________ market has crashed.
  11. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  12. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  13. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  14. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  15. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  16. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  17. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  18. Did you ________________ the meat?
  19. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  20. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  21. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  22. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  23. Where did you ________________ them?
  24. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.

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

Answer key

  1. drill — army training
  2. craft — a handicraft
  3. file — a document
  4. season — in sport
  5. drill — a practice
  6. cold — the Cold War
  7. pound — for dogs
  8. stock — a soup base
  9. cold — not warm
  10. stock — shares
  11. pound — to hit hard
  12. mug — a face
  13. file — a line of people
  14. drill — the tool
  15. craft — a skill
  16. cold — an illness
  17. craft — boats
  18. season — to add flavour
  19. file — a tool
  20. pound — a weight
  21. mug — a cup
  22. season — of the year
  23. mug — to rob
  24. stock — goods

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