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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: cold · band · pass · plane · staff · rash · season · craft

  1. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  2. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  3. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  4. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  5. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  6. The water is too ________________.
  7. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  8. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  9. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  10. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  11. Did you ________________ the meat?
  12. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  13. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  14. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  15. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  16. Don't do anything ________________.
  17. The ________________ took off on time.
  18. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  19. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  20. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  21. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  22. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  23. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  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. season — in sport
  2. cold — an illness
  3. band — a ring
  4. band — a rubber band
  5. staff — employees
  6. cold — not warm
  7. rash — a series
  8. band — a music group
  9. staff — employees
  10. rash — on the skin
  11. season — to add flavour
  12. staff — a stick
  13. pass — a permit
  14. plane — a tool
  15. pass — to succeed
  16. rash — hasty
  17. plane — an aircraft
  18. craft — boats
  19. craft — a handicraft
  20. plane — in geometry
  21. craft — a skill
  22. cold — the Cold War
  23. season — of the year
  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