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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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: plane · cold · rash · perch · craft · march · cell · rush

  1. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  2. The ________________ took off on time.
  3. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  4. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  5. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  6. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  7. The water is too ________________.
  8. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  9. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  10. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  11. He was locked up in a ________________.
  12. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  13. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  14. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  15. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  16. Don't do anything ________________.
  17. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  18. That must've been a ________________.
  19. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  20. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  21. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  22. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  23. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  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. rash — a series
  2. plane — an aircraft
  3. rash — on the skin
  4. march — the month
  5. rush — hurry
  6. perch — the fish
  7. cold — not warm
  8. perch — for a bird
  9. cell — in biology
  10. cell — a phone
  11. cell — in a prison
  12. cold — the Cold War
  13. craft — a handicraft
  14. march — the month
  15. plane — a tool
  16. rash — hasty
  17. cold — an illness
  18. rush — a thrill
  19. craft — a skill
  20. march — music
  21. perch — for a bird
  22. plane — in geometry
  23. rush — to hurry
  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