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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: spell · bore · mouse · foot · bay · drill · rash · season

  1. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  2. My mare is ________________ in color.
  3. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  4. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  5. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  6. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  7. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  8. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  9. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  10. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  11. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  12. Did you ________________ the meat?
  13. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  14. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  15. How do you ________________ your surname?
  16. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  17. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  18. Don't do anything ________________.
  19. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  20. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  21. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  22. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  23. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  24. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. season — of the year
  2. bay — a horse colour
  3. bore — gave birth
  4. bay — a part of the sea
  5. foot — a measure
  6. foot — the bottom
  7. drill — the tool
  8. rash — a series
  9. mouse — the animal
  10. drill — army training
  11. mouse — for a computer
  12. season — to add flavour
  13. drill — a practice
  14. rash — on the skin
  15. spell — letters
  16. bay — to keep at bay
  17. bore — to drill
  18. rash — hasty
  19. bore — to tire
  20. season — in sport
  21. spell — a short time
  22. foot — part of the body
  23. mouse — the animal
  24. spell — magic

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