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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: staff · can · craft · bank · season · squash · tear · field

  1. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  2. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  3. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  4. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  5. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  6. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  7. Did you ________________ the meat?
  8. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  9. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  10. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  11. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  12. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  13. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  14. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  15. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  16. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  17. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  18. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  19. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  20. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  21. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  22. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  23. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  24. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.

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

Answer key

  1. season — of the year
  2. squash — the vegetable
  3. staff — a stick
  4. tear — to rip
  5. tear — from crying
  6. squash — the sport
  7. season — to add flavour
  8. craft — a skill
  9. field — farmland
  10. staff — employees
  11. bank — of a river
  12. staff — employees
  13. craft — boats
  14. tear — from crying
  15. can — to be able to
  16. can — a tin
  17. field — for sport
  18. season — in sport
  19. field — a subject
  20. craft — a handicraft
  21. bank — for money
  22. can — a tin
  23. bank — for money
  24. squash — to crush

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