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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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: rash · season · key · leaves · last · wound · mark · can

  1. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  2. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  3. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  4. False peace will not ________________.
  5. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  6. Did you ________________ the meat?
  7. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  8. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  9. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  10. Don't do anything ________________.
  11. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  12. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  13. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  14. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  15. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  16. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  17. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  18. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  19. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  20. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  21. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  22. This piece is in a major ________________.
  23. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  24. This looks like a gunshot ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. key — for a lock
  2. wound — an injury
  3. last — finally
  4. last — to go on
  5. mark — a grade
  6. season — to add flavour
  7. wound — past of 'wind'
  8. leaves — to go away
  9. can — to be able to
  10. rash — hasty
  11. mark — a trace
  12. mark — to pay attention
  13. can — a tin
  14. leaves — of a tree
  15. season — in sport
  16. leaves — lets stay
  17. season — of the year
  18. key — the most important part
  19. last — final
  20. can — a tin
  21. rash — a series
  22. key — in music
  23. rash — on the skin
  24. wound — an injury

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