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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 · craft · coach · stem · board · hand · perch · squash

  1. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  2. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  3. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  4. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  5. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  6. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  7. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  8. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  9. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  10. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  11. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  12. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  13. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  14. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  15. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  16. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  17. Have you met the new head ________________?
  18. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  19. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  20. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  21. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  22. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  23. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  24. Did you ________________ the meat?

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

Answer key

  1. perch — for a bird
  2. board — a flat piece
  3. craft — boats
  4. squash — to crush
  5. season — of the year
  6. board — a committee
  7. perch — the fish
  8. coach — a trainer
  9. craft — a handicraft
  10. craft — a skill
  11. squash — the vegetable
  12. squash — the sport
  13. board — to get on
  14. season — in sport
  15. hand — in cards
  16. hand — help
  17. coach — a trainer
  18. coach — pulled by horses
  19. stem — of a plant
  20. stem — a stem cell
  21. perch — for a bird
  22. stem — to come from
  23. hand — part of the body
  24. season — to add flavour

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