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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: last · squash · fork · craft · season · bay · spring · stock

  1. False peace will not ________________.
  2. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  3. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  4. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  5. The ________________ market has crashed.
  6. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  7. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  8. My mare is ________________ in color.
  9. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  10. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  11. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  12. Did you ________________ the meat?
  13. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  14. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  15. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  16. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  17. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  18. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  19. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  20. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  21. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  22. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  23. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  24. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. last — to go on
  2. squash — to crush
  3. season — of the year
  4. spring — of water
  5. stock — shares
  6. craft — a skill
  7. craft — boats
  8. bay — a horse colour
  9. last — finally
  10. spring — a coil
  11. squash — the sport
  12. season — to add flavour
  13. season — in sport
  14. spring — the season
  15. fork — a garden tool
  16. bay — to keep at bay
  17. last — final
  18. fork — to eat with
  19. squash — the vegetable
  20. fork — in a road
  21. stock — goods
  22. craft — a handicraft
  23. stock — a soup base
  24. bay — a part of the sea

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