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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 120 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: stand · season · kid · bulb · staff · rest · shower · pass

  1. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  2. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  3. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  4. I can't ________________ this cold.
  5. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  6. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  7. Did you ________________ the meat?
  8. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  9. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  10. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  11. The light ________________ burned out.
  12. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  13. I've got to change the light ________________.
  14. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  15. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  16. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  17. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  18. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  19. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  20. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  21. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  22. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  23. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  24. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.

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

Answer key

  1. staff — employees
  2. season — of the year
  3. stand — on your feet
  4. stand — to bear
  5. rest — a break
  6. rest — what's left
  7. season — to add flavour
  8. season — in sport
  9. staff — a stick
  10. rest — what's left
  11. bulb — for light
  12. kid — child
  13. bulb — for light
  14. shower — to wash
  15. stand — for spectators
  16. shower — a meteor shower
  17. staff — employees
  18. kid — to tease
  19. shower — rain
  20. pass — a permit
  21. bulb — of a plant
  22. pass — to succeed
  23. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  24. pass — to spend time

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