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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: drill · degree · bay · spring · rush · craft · last · hide

  1. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  2. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  3. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  4. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  5. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  6. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  7. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  8. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  9. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  10. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  11. False peace will not ________________.
  12. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  13. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  14. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  15. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  16. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  17. My mare is ________________ in color.
  18. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  19. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  20. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  21. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  22. That must've been a ________________.
  23. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  24. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.

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

Answer key

  1. spring — a coil
  2. last — final
  3. drill — the tool
  4. bay — to keep at bay
  5. hide — to keep secret
  6. degree — an amount
  7. rush — hurry
  8. drill — army training
  9. degree — from a university
  10. degree — temperature
  11. last — to go on
  12. spring — of water
  13. bay — a part of the sea
  14. hide — to keep secret
  15. drill — a practice
  16. craft — a handicraft
  17. bay — a horse colour
  18. craft — a skill
  19. last — finally
  20. hide — animal skin
  21. spring — the season
  22. rush — a thrill
  23. rush — to hurry
  24. craft — boats

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