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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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: season · trunk · land · rash · pit · roll · snap · craft

  1. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  2. Did you ________________ the meat?
  3. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  4. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  5. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  6. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  7. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  8. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  9. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  10. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  11. Don't do anything ________________.
  12. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  13. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  14. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  15. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  16. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  17. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  18. When are we going to ________________?
  19. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  20. We're on a ________________ here.
  21. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  22. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  23. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  24. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.

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

Answer key

  1. land — ground
  2. season — to add flavour
  3. land — a country
  4. season — of the year
  5. rash — a series
  6. trunk — of an elephant
  7. craft — a handicraft
  8. pit — a fruit stone
  9. season — in sport
  10. trunk — of a car
  11. rash — hasty
  12. roll — a cake
  13. pit — a hole
  14. snap — to snap out of it
  15. craft — boats
  16. snap — to click
  17. rash — on the skin
  18. land — to come down
  19. trunk — of a tree
  20. roll — on a roll
  21. roll — a list
  22. craft — a skill
  23. pit — in a race
  24. snap — to speak sharply

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