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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: season · hand · sharp · swing · march · stem · object · craft

  1. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  2. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  3. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  4. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  5. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  6. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  7. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  8. David sat on the ________________.
  9. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  10. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  11. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  12. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  13. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  14. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  15. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  16. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  17. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  18. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  19. Did you ________________ the meat?
  20. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  21. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  22. It's one o'clock ________________.
  23. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  24. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?

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

Answer key

  1. season — of the year
  2. craft — boats
  3. march — the month
  4. sharp — clever
  5. swing — music
  6. hand — help
  7. stem — of a plant
  8. swing — to play on
  9. craft — a handicraft
  10. hand — part of the body
  11. swing — in golf
  12. season — in sport
  13. march — music
  14. object — a thing
  15. hand — in cards
  16. object — an aim
  17. stem — a stem cell
  18. sharp — with an edge
  19. season — to add flavour
  20. march — the month
  21. stem — to come from
  22. sharp — exactly
  23. craft — a skill
  24. object — to protest

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