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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: chair · rash · season · face · hand · band · pass · trunk

  1. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  2. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  3. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  4. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  5. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  6. Did you ________________ the meat?
  7. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  8. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  9. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  10. Don't do anything ________________.
  11. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  12. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  13. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  14. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  15. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  16. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  17. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  18. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  19. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  20. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  21. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  22. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  23. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  24. You can't go backstage without a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. rash — on the skin
  2. trunk — of a tree
  3. chair — to sit on
  4. pass — to succeed
  5. band — a music group
  6. season — to add flavour
  7. face — part of the head
  8. band — a rubber band
  9. band — a ring
  10. rash — hasty
  11. hand — part of the body
  12. face — to confront
  13. rash — a series
  14. trunk — of a car
  15. season — of the year
  16. chair — a professorship
  17. face — to point toward
  18. pass — to spend time
  19. chair — a leader
  20. hand — in cards
  21. trunk — of an elephant
  22. season — in sport
  23. hand — help
  24. pass — a permit

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