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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: nail · ground · season · spring · bay · mine · degree · craft

  1. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  2. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  3. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  4. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  5. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  6. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  7. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  8. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  9. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  10. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  11. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  12. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  13. Did you ________________ the meat?
  14. There's no middle ________________.
  15. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  16. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  17. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  18. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  19. My mare is ________________ in color.
  20. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  21. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  22. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  23. The ________________ went through the wall.
  24. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.

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

Answer key

  1. bay — a part of the sea
  2. degree — an amount
  3. craft — a skill
  4. season — of the year
  5. mine — belonging to me
  6. degree — temperature
  7. spring — the season
  8. mine — for digging
  9. season — in sport
  10. nail — for a hammer
  11. craft — a handicraft
  12. bay — to keep at bay
  13. season — to add flavour
  14. ground — a position
  15. mine — an explosive
  16. ground — the earth
  17. craft — boats
  18. nail — on a finger
  19. bay — a horse colour
  20. spring — a coil
  21. ground — crushed
  22. spring — of water
  23. nail — for a hammer
  24. degree — from a university

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