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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 · racket · rule · land · pop · band · hide · craft

  1. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  2. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  3. You don't need to ________________ round.
  4. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  5. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  6. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  7. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  8. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  9. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  10. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  11. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  12. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  13. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  14. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  15. We're almost out of ________________.
  16. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  17. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  18. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  19. Did you ________________ the meat?
  20. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  21. When are we going to ________________?
  22. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  23. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  24. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. band — a ring
  2. pop — music
  3. pop — to visit
  4. season — of the year
  5. band — a music group
  6. rule — a law
  7. racket — a loud noise
  8. craft — a skill
  9. land — ground
  10. racket — for tennis
  11. hide — to keep secret
  12. land — a country
  13. hide — to keep secret
  14. band — a rubber band
  15. pop — soda
  16. hide — animal skin
  17. craft — boats
  18. rule — to rule out
  19. season — to add flavour
  20. racket — for tennis
  21. land — to come down
  22. rule — government
  23. craft — a handicraft
  24. season — in sport

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