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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.

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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: lash · drill · ground · craft · face · can · season · rash

  1. There's no middle ________________.
  2. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  3. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  4. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  5. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  6. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  7. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  8. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  9. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  10. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  11. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  12. Did you ________________ the meat?
  13. Don't do anything ________________.
  14. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  15. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  16. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  17. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  18. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  19. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  20. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  21. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  22. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  23. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  24. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. ground — a position
  2. craft — boats
  3. ground — crushed
  4. can — to be able to
  5. craft — a handicraft
  6. season — of the year
  7. face — part of the head
  8. drill — army training
  9. rash — a series
  10. face — to confront
  11. lash — an eyelash
  12. season — to add flavour
  13. rash — hasty
  14. can — a tin
  15. season — in sport
  16. face — to point toward
  17. rash — on the skin
  18. lash — to lash out
  19. drill — the tool
  20. drill — a practice
  21. craft — a skill
  22. can — a tin
  23. ground — the earth
  24. lash — a whip stroke

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