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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: season · mine · jam · drill · scale · fan · rest · staff

  1. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  2. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  3. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  4. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  5. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  6. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  7. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  8. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  9. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  10. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  11. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  12. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  13. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  14. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  15. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  16. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  17. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  18. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  19. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  20. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  21. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  22. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  23. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  24. Did you ________________ the meat?

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

Answer key

  1. drill — army training
  2. rest — what's left
  3. fan — to cool the air
  4. season — of the year
  5. fan — a supporter
  6. staff — employees
  7. fan — a supporter
  8. drill — a practice
  9. staff — employees
  10. scale — in music
  11. staff — a stick
  12. rest — a break
  13. drill — the tool
  14. mine — belonging to me
  15. jam — in traffic
  16. season — in sport
  17. mine — an explosive
  18. jam — to spread on bread
  19. scale — for weighing
  20. mine — for digging
  21. rest — what's left
  22. scale — size or range
  23. jam — a tight spot
  24. season — to add flavour

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