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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 116 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: race · bass · band · staff · lean · dip · rash · season

  1. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  2. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  3. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  4. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  5. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  6. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  7. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  8. Don't do anything ________________.
  9. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  10. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  11. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  12. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  13. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  14. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  15. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  16. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  17. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  18. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  19. Did you ________________ the meat?
  20. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  21. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  22. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  23. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  24. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. race — a contest
  2. season — of the year
  3. staff — employees
  4. dip — a sauce
  5. lean — to rest against
  6. lean — to bend
  7. race — the arms race
  8. rash — hasty
  9. bass — the instrument
  10. staff — employees
  11. dip — to dunk
  12. bass — the fish
  13. lean — thin
  14. band — a rubber band
  15. band — a music group
  16. race — humankind
  17. rash — on the skin
  18. season — in sport
  19. season — to add flavour
  20. dip — to sink
  21. staff — a stick
  22. bass — low music
  23. rash — a series
  24. band — a ring

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