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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: land · season · hand · toast · snap · bark · rush · cabinet

  1. What do you think of the new ________________?
  2. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  3. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  4. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  5. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  6. Did you ________________ the meat?
  7. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  8. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  9. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  10. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  11. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  12. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  13. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  14. When are we going to ________________?
  15. That must've been a ________________.
  16. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  17. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  18. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  19. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  20. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  21. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  22. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  23. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  24. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. cabinet — ministers
  2. bark — to shout
  3. land — ground
  4. toast — the most admired
  5. toast — bread
  6. season — to add flavour
  7. snap — to speak sharply
  8. land — a country
  9. rush — hurry
  10. season — of the year
  11. toast — a drink to someone
  12. cabinet — a cupboard
  13. snap — to snap out of it
  14. land — to come down
  15. rush — a thrill
  16. rush — to hurry
  17. season — in sport
  18. snap — to click
  19. hand — in cards
  20. hand — part of the body
  21. bark — a dog's sound
  22. hand — help
  23. cabinet — ministers
  24. bark — of a tree

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