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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 · snap · nail · craft · degree · rash · hand · stem

  1. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  2. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  3. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  4. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  5. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  6. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  7. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  8. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  9. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  10. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  11. The ________________ went through the wall.
  12. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  13. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  14. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  15. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  16. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  17. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  18. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  19. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  20. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  21. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  22. Did you ________________ the meat?
  23. Don't do anything ________________.
  24. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.

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

Answer key

  1. rash — on the skin
  2. rash — a series
  3. degree — from a university
  4. season — of the year
  5. degree — an amount
  6. season — in sport
  7. snap — to snap out of it
  8. snap — to click
  9. hand — part of the body
  10. stem — of a plant
  11. nail — for a hammer
  12. stem — a stem cell
  13. nail — for a hammer
  14. hand — in cards
  15. snap — to speak sharply
  16. craft — boats
  17. stem — to come from
  18. craft — a skill
  19. craft — a handicraft
  20. degree — temperature
  21. hand — help
  22. season — to add flavour
  23. rash — hasty
  24. nail — on a finger

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