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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: court · rest · temple · season · craft · lash · club · shower

  1. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  2. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  3. When was this ________________ built?
  4. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  5. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  6. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  7. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  8. The ball is in your ________________.
  9. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  10. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  11. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  12. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  13. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  14. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  15. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  16. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  17. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  18. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  19. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  20. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  21. Did you ________________ the meat?
  22. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  23. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  24. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. club — a group
  2. season — of the year
  3. temple — a place of worship
  4. lash — an eyelash
  5. court — of law
  6. rest — what's left
  7. craft — boats
  8. court — for sport
  9. lash — to lash out
  10. shower — rain
  11. shower — to wash
  12. lash — a whip stroke
  13. shower — a meteor shower
  14. temple — a place of worship
  15. temple — side of the head
  16. craft — a skill
  17. club — for dancing
  18. craft — a handicraft
  19. court — of a king
  20. rest — what's left
  21. season — to add flavour
  22. season — in sport
  23. rest — a break
  24. club — for golf

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