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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 · land · mug · season · dip · staff · leaves · toast

  1. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  2. Did you ________________ the meat?
  3. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  4. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  5. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  6. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  7. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  8. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  9. When are we going to ________________?
  10. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  11. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  12. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  13. Where did you ________________ them?
  14. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  15. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  16. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  17. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  18. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  19. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  20. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  21. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  22. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  23. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  24. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.

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

Answer key

  1. rest — what's left
  2. season — to add flavour
  3. staff — a stick
  4. mug — a face
  5. leaves — to go away
  6. dip — a sauce
  7. staff — employees
  8. rest — a break
  9. land — to come down
  10. season — of the year
  11. mug — a cup
  12. toast — the most admired
  13. mug — to rob
  14. rest — what's left
  15. leaves — lets stay
  16. land — ground
  17. land — a country
  18. toast — bread
  19. season — in sport
  20. leaves — of a tree
  21. toast — a drink to someone
  22. dip — to sink
  23. dip — to dunk
  24. staff — employees

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