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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 116 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: mark · last · rush · bay · clip · bore · craft · spell

  1. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  2. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  3. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  4. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  5. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  6. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  7. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  8. My mare is ________________ in color.
  9. That must've been a ________________.
  10. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  11. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  12. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  13. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  14. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  15. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  16. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  17. False peace will not ________________.
  18. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  19. How do you ________________ your surname?
  20. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  21. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  22. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  23. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  24. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.

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

Answer key

  1. craft — a skill
  2. bore — to tire
  3. last — finally
  4. spell — a short time
  5. bore — gave birth
  6. rush — hurry
  7. craft — a handicraft
  8. bay — a horse colour
  9. rush — a thrill
  10. bay — a part of the sea
  11. bore — to drill
  12. mark — to pay attention
  13. craft — boats
  14. clip — a video
  15. spell — magic
  16. rush — to hurry
  17. last — to go on
  18. last — final
  19. spell — letters
  20. clip — for paper
  21. mark — a grade
  22. mark — a trace
  23. bay — to keep at bay
  24. clip — to cut

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