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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: craft · chest · stock · season · march · bay · rash · rush

  1. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  2. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  3. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  4. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  5. My mare is ________________ in color.
  6. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  7. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  8. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  9. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  10. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  11. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  12. The ________________ market has crashed.
  13. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  14. Did you ________________ the meat?
  15. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  16. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  17. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  18. Don't do anything ________________.
  19. That must've been a ________________.
  20. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  21. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  22. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  23. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  24. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. craft — a skill
  2. craft — a handicraft
  3. craft — boats
  4. rush — to hurry
  5. bay — a horse colour
  6. rash — a series
  7. stock — goods
  8. chest — a box
  9. bay — a part of the sea
  10. chest — of your body
  11. season — in sport
  12. stock — shares
  13. rash — on the skin
  14. season — to add flavour
  15. rush — hurry
  16. stock — a soup base
  17. march — the month
  18. rash — hasty
  19. rush — a thrill
  20. season — of the year
  21. march — music
  22. march — the month
  23. chest — of your body
  24. bay — to keep at bay

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