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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 116 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: board · mouse · craft · squash · chair · last · spring · season

  1. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  2. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  3. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  4. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  5. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  6. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  7. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  8. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  9. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  10. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  11. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  12. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  13. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  14. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  15. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  16. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  17. Did you ________________ the meat?
  18. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  19. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  20. False peace will not ________________.
  21. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  22. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  23. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  24. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.

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

Answer key

  1. spring — the season
  2. squash — the sport
  3. last — final
  4. season — of the year
  5. squash — to crush
  6. craft — a handicraft
  7. board — a flat piece
  8. craft — boats
  9. board — a committee
  10. mouse — the animal
  11. chair — to sit on
  12. squash — the vegetable
  13. chair — a leader
  14. mouse — for a computer
  15. mouse — the animal
  16. craft — a skill
  17. season — to add flavour
  18. board — to get on
  19. season — in sport
  20. last — to go on
  21. chair — a professorship
  22. last — finally
  23. spring — of water
  24. spring — a coil

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