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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: staff · mouse · hand · rest · season · craft · rash · squash

  1. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  2. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  3. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  4. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  5. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  6. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  7. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  8. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  9. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  10. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  11. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  12. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  13. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  14. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  15. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  16. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  17. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  18. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  19. Don't do anything ________________.
  20. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  21. Did you ________________ the meat?
  22. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  23. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  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. rash — a series
  2. craft — a skill
  3. staff — employees
  4. mouse — the animal
  5. rest — what's left
  6. squash — the sport
  7. mouse — for a computer
  8. rest — a break
  9. craft — boats
  10. hand — help
  11. mouse — the animal
  12. rash — on the skin
  13. hand — in cards
  14. squash — the vegetable
  15. season — of the year
  16. staff — a stick
  17. squash — to crush
  18. hand — part of the body
  19. rash — hasty
  20. staff — employees
  21. season — to add flavour
  22. craft — a handicraft
  23. rest — what's left
  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