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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: rest · craft · temple · key · season · wave · wind · jam

  1. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  2. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  3. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  4. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  5. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  6. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  7. Did you ________________ the meat?
  8. This piece is in a major ________________.
  9. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  10. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  11. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  12. When was this ________________ built?
  13. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  14. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  15. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  16. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  17. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  18. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  19. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  20. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  21. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  22. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  23. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  24. Tom got himself in a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. rest — a break
  2. craft — a skill
  3. jam — to spread on bread
  4. craft — a handicraft
  5. wave — a sudden rise
  6. wave — of the sea
  7. season — to add flavour
  8. key — in music
  9. wave — with your hand
  10. key — for a lock
  11. jam — in traffic
  12. temple — a place of worship
  13. wind — moving air
  14. temple — a place of worship
  15. wind — to turn a key
  16. rest — what's left
  17. season — of the year
  18. wind — moving air
  19. key — the most important part
  20. temple — side of the head
  21. craft — boats
  22. rest — what's left
  23. season — in sport
  24. jam — a tight spot

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