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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 120 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: rash · bulb · craft · season · rule · spring · snap · sharp

  1. Did you ________________ the meat?
  2. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  3. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  4. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  5. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  6. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  7. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  8. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  9. It's one o'clock ________________.
  10. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  11. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  12. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  13. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  14. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  15. I've got to change the light ________________.
  16. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  17. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  18. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  19. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  20. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  21. Don't do anything ________________.
  22. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  23. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  24. The light ________________ burned out.

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

Answer key

  1. season — to add flavour
  2. rule — a law
  3. craft — boats
  4. season — in sport
  5. craft — a skill
  6. snap — to speak sharply
  7. rule — government
  8. spring — of water
  9. sharp — exactly
  10. sharp — clever
  11. craft — a handicraft
  12. season — of the year
  13. spring — a coil
  14. snap — to click
  15. bulb — for light
  16. rash — a series
  17. bulb — of a plant
  18. snap — to snap out of it
  19. sharp — with an edge
  20. spring — the season
  21. rash — hasty
  22. rash — on the skin
  23. rule — to rule out
  24. bulb — for light

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