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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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: ground · craft · racket · season · staff · suit · last · bulb

  1. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  2. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  3. Did you ________________ the meat?
  4. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  5. When will it ________________ you to start?
  6. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  7. There's no middle ________________.
  8. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  9. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  10. False peace will not ________________.
  11. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  12. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  13. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  14. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  15. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  16. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  17. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  18. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  19. I've got to change the light ________________.
  20. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  21. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  22. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  23. The light ________________ burned out.
  24. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.

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

Answer key

  1. craft — a skill
  2. ground — crushed
  3. season — to add flavour
  4. season — of the year
  5. suit — to fit
  6. staff — a stick
  7. ground — a position
  8. last — final
  9. craft — a handicraft
  10. last — to go on
  11. racket — for tennis
  12. racket — for tennis
  13. last — finally
  14. bulb — of a plant
  15. racket — a loud noise
  16. staff — employees
  17. craft — boats
  18. suit — in cards
  19. bulb — for light
  20. suit — clothes
  21. season — in sport
  22. ground — the earth
  23. bulb — for light
  24. staff — employees

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