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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: ground · arm · saw · march · content · staff · season · fan

  1. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  2. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  3. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  4. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  5. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  6. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  7. He works in a ________________ mill.
  8. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  9. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  10. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  11. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  12. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  13. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  14. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  15. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  16. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  17. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  18. My father caught me by the ________________.
  19. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  20. She's very handy with a ________________.
  21. Did you ________________ the meat?
  22. There's no middle ________________.
  23. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  24. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.

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

Answer key

  1. season — of the year
  2. content — videos and posts
  3. ground — the earth
  4. fan — to cool the air
  5. arm — part of the body
  6. fan — a supporter
  7. saw — the tool
  8. season — in sport
  9. staff — employees
  10. staff — employees
  11. march — the month
  12. staff — a stick
  13. saw — past of 'see'
  14. ground — crushed
  15. fan — a supporter
  16. content — happy
  17. march — music
  18. arm — part of the body
  19. content — the amount
  20. saw — the tool
  21. season — to add flavour
  22. ground — a position
  23. arm — a part of something
  24. march — the month

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