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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: can · rest · staff · season · cue · trunk · spring · pit

  1. Did you ________________ the meat?
  2. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  3. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  4. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  5. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  6. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  7. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  8. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  9. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  10. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  11. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  12. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  13. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  14. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  15. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  16. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  17. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  18. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  19. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  20. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  21. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  22. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  23. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  24. Recycle the empty soda ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. season — to add flavour
  2. staff — employees
  3. can — a tin
  4. season — in sport
  5. season — of the year
  6. pit — a hole
  7. cue — a hint
  8. pit — in a race
  9. trunk — of a tree
  10. spring — the season
  11. spring — a coil
  12. pit — a fruit stone
  13. rest — what's left
  14. staff — employees
  15. cue — a signal
  16. cue — for pool
  17. staff — a stick
  18. trunk — of a car
  19. rest — what's left
  20. spring — of water
  21. trunk — of an elephant
  22. rest — a break
  23. can — to be able to
  24. can — a tin

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