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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: bore · field · snap · craft · spring · hand · net · roll

  1. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  2. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  3. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  4. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  5. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  6. We're on a ________________ here.
  7. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  8. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  9. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  10. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  11. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  12. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  13. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  14. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  15. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  16. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  17. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  18. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  19. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  20. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  21. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  22. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  23. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  24. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bore — to drill
  2. spring — the season
  3. net — for catching
  4. hand — in cards
  5. hand — part of the body
  6. roll — on a roll
  7. snap — to snap out of it
  8. bore — to tire
  9. net — in sport
  10. field — for sport
  11. snap — to speak sharply
  12. hand — help
  13. spring — a coil
  14. spring — of water
  15. craft — a skill
  16. field — a subject
  17. craft — a handicraft
  18. craft — boats
  19. snap — to click
  20. roll — a cake
  21. bore — gave birth
  22. net — after costs
  23. roll — a list
  24. field — farmland

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