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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: rash · staff · bass · march · season · roll · cold · plane

  1. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  2. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  3. We're on a ________________ here.
  4. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  5. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  6. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  7. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  8. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  9. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  10. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  11. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  12. Don't do anything ________________.
  13. Did you ________________ the meat?
  14. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  15. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  16. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  17. The water is too ________________.
  18. The ________________ took off on time.
  19. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  20. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  21. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  22. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  23. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  24. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. roll — a list
  2. march — the month
  3. roll — on a roll
  4. cold — an illness
  5. bass — the fish
  6. rash — a series
  7. season — of the year
  8. staff — employees
  9. bass — low music
  10. staff — employees
  11. plane — a tool
  12. rash — hasty
  13. season — to add flavour
  14. bass — the instrument
  15. march — music
  16. season — in sport
  17. cold — not warm
  18. plane — an aircraft
  19. staff — a stick
  20. cold — the Cold War
  21. march — the month
  22. rash — on the skin
  23. plane — in geometry
  24. roll — a cake

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