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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 · craft · squash · stand · season · chest · fan · cap

  1. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  2. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  3. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  4. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  5. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  6. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  7. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  8. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  9. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  10. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  11. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  12. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  13. I can't ________________ this cold.
  14. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  15. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  16. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  17. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  18. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  19. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  20. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  21. When are we going to ________________?
  22. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  23. Did you ________________ the meat?
  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. craft — a handicraft
  2. cap — a hat
  3. chest — a box
  4. craft — boats
  5. fan — a supporter
  6. chest — of your body
  7. craft — a skill
  8. squash — the sport
  9. squash — the vegetable
  10. season — of the year
  11. stand — for spectators
  12. stand — on your feet
  13. stand — to bear
  14. season — in sport
  15. land — a country
  16. land — ground
  17. chest — of your body
  18. fan — a supporter
  19. cap — of ice
  20. fan — to cool the air
  21. land — to come down
  22. cap — a lid
  23. season — to add flavour
  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