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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: lean · track · season · chip · squash · hand · craft · kid

  1. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  2. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  3. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  4. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  5. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  6. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  7. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  8. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  9. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  10. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  11. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  12. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  13. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  14. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  15. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  16. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  17. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  18. Did you ________________ the meat?
  19. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  20. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  21. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  22. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  23. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  24. He keeps ________________ of his days.

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

Answer key

  1. season — of the year
  2. track — a song
  3. kid — child
  4. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  5. kid — to tease
  6. squash — to crush
  7. lean — to rest against
  8. hand — in cards
  9. hand — help
  10. lean — thin
  11. season — in sport
  12. lean — to bend
  13. squash — the vegetable
  14. craft — boats
  15. craft — a skill
  16. craft — a handicraft
  17. chip — to eat
  18. season — to add flavour
  19. chip — in a computer
  20. track — a path
  21. squash — the sport
  22. hand — part of the body
  23. chip — for betting
  24. track — to keep track

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