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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: craft · drill · rest · calf · track · spring · clip · ball

  1. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  2. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  3. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  4. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  5. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  6. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  7. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  8. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  9. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  10. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  11. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  12. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  13. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  14. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  15. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  16. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  17. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  18. The King held a masked ________________.
  19. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  20. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  21. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  22. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  23. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  24. Hold the papers together with a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. calf — of the leg
  2. craft — a handicraft
  3. track — a song
  4. spring — a coil
  5. calf — a young animal
  6. track — to keep track
  7. track — a path
  8. clip — a video
  9. rest — what's left
  10. drill — army training
  11. calf — a young animal
  12. spring — of water
  13. drill — the tool
  14. rest — what's left
  15. rest — a break
  16. spring — the season
  17. craft — a skill
  18. ball — a dance
  19. clip — to cut
  20. ball — a round shape
  21. drill — a practice
  22. ball — a great time
  23. craft — boats
  24. clip — for paper

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