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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: squash · rash · current · sharp · season · band · toast · cell

  1. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  2. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  3. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  4. Did you ________________ the meat?
  5. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  6. Don't do anything ________________.
  7. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  8. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  9. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  10. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  11. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  12. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  13. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  14. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  15. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  16. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  17. He was locked up in a ________________.
  18. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  19. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  20. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  21. It's one o'clock ________________.
  22. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  23. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  24. Let us try to swim against the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. season — of the year
  2. cell — a phone
  3. squash — the sport
  4. season — to add flavour
  5. toast — the most admired
  6. rash — hasty
  7. cell — in biology
  8. squash — to crush
  9. band — a rubber band
  10. sharp — clever
  11. rash — on the skin
  12. season — in sport
  13. toast — a drink to someone
  14. sharp — with an edge
  15. squash — the vegetable
  16. band — a music group
  17. cell — in a prison
  18. current — electric
  19. toast — bread
  20. rash — a series
  21. sharp — exactly
  22. band — a ring
  23. current — happening now
  24. current — of water

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