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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 · leaves · temple · snap · stock · craft · saw · jam

  1. Did you ________________ the meat?
  2. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  3. He works in a ________________ mill.
  4. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  5. She's very handy with a ________________.
  6. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  7. The ________________ market has crashed.
  8. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  9. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  10. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  11. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  12. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  13. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  14. When was this ________________ built?
  15. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  16. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  17. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  18. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  19. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  20. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  21. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  22. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  23. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  24. Tom got himself in a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. season — to add flavour
  2. leaves — lets stay
  3. saw — the tool
  4. snap — to speak sharply
  5. saw — the tool
  6. craft — a handicraft
  7. stock — shares
  8. temple — a place of worship
  9. season — of the year
  10. leaves — of a tree
  11. snap — to click
  12. jam — to spread on bread
  13. jam — in traffic
  14. temple — a place of worship
  15. temple — side of the head
  16. saw — past of 'see'
  17. leaves — to go away
  18. craft — boats
  19. season — in sport
  20. craft — a skill
  21. snap — to snap out of it
  22. stock — goods
  23. stock — a soup base
  24. jam — a tight spot

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