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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: key · rash · drill · wound · pop · craft · object · season

  1. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  2. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  3. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  4. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  5. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  6. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  7. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  8. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  9. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  10. This piece is in a major ________________.
  11. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  12. We're almost out of ________________.
  13. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  14. Don't do anything ________________.
  15. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  16. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  17. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  18. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  19. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  20. Did you ________________ the meat?
  21. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  22. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  23. You don't need to ________________ round.
  24. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.

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

Answer key

  1. object — to protest
  2. craft — a handicraft
  3. drill — a practice
  4. craft — a skill
  5. rash — a series
  6. wound — an injury
  7. pop — music
  8. drill — army training
  9. object — an aim
  10. key — in music
  11. season — of the year
  12. pop — soda
  13. rash — on the skin
  14. rash — hasty
  15. wound — past of 'wind'
  16. season — in sport
  17. drill — the tool
  18. wound — an injury
  19. key — for a lock
  20. season — to add flavour
  21. object — a thing
  22. key — the most important part
  23. pop — to visit
  24. craft — boats

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