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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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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: drill · prune · land · deal · pit · craft · rest · season

  1. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  2. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  3. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  4. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  5. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  6. Did you ________________ the meat?
  7. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  8. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  9. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  10. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  11. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  12. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  13. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  14. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  15. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  16. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  17. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  18. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  19. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  20. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  21. When are we going to ________________?
  22. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  23. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  24. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.

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

Answer key

  1. craft — a handicraft
  2. rest — a break
  3. deal — an agreement
  4. pit — a fruit stone
  5. pit — in a race
  6. season — to add flavour
  7. rest — what's left
  8. pit — a hole
  9. season — in sport
  10. craft — boats
  11. prune — the fruit
  12. deal — to handle
  13. land — ground
  14. drill — a practice
  15. deal — a big deal
  16. prune — to trim
  17. prune — to trim
  18. drill — the tool
  19. land — a country
  20. craft — a skill
  21. land — to come down
  22. season — of the year
  23. rest — what's left
  24. drill — army training

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