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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: season · staff · rush · nail · rest · fan · perch · row

  1. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  2. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  3. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  4. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  5. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  6. Did you ________________ the meat?
  7. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  8. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  9. That must've been a ________________.
  10. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  11. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  12. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  13. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  14. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  15. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  16. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  17. The ________________ went through the wall.
  18. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  19. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  20. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  21. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  22. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  23. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  24. I had a ________________ with my boss today.

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

Answer key

  1. staff — employees
  2. perch — for a bird
  3. rest — what's left
  4. staff — employees
  5. perch — the fish
  6. season — to add flavour
  7. staff — a stick
  8. nail — on a finger
  9. rush — a thrill
  10. rush — hurry
  11. row — a line
  12. nail — for a hammer
  13. rush — to hurry
  14. row — to paddle
  15. perch — for a bird
  16. fan — to cool the air
  17. nail — for a hammer
  18. fan — a supporter
  19. rest — a break
  20. season — of the year
  21. rest — what's left
  22. season — in sport
  23. fan — a supporter
  24. row — a quarrel

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