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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 · chip · rash · prune · kid · rush · stand · drill

  1. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  2. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  3. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  4. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  5. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  6. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  7. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  8. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  9. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  10. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  11. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  12. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  13. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  14. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  15. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  16. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  17. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  18. I can't ________________ this cold.
  19. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  20. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  21. Don't do anything ________________.
  22. That must've been a ________________.
  23. Did you ________________ the meat?
  24. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.

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

Answer key

  1. rush — to hurry
  2. rash — a series
  3. kid — child
  4. chip — in a computer
  5. prune — the fruit
  6. chip — for betting
  7. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  8. rash — on the skin
  9. stand — for spectators
  10. rush — hurry
  11. drill — the tool
  12. drill — army training
  13. chip — to eat
  14. prune — to trim
  15. stand — on your feet
  16. prune — to trim
  17. drill — a practice
  18. stand — to bear
  19. season — of the year
  20. season — in sport
  21. rash — hasty
  22. rush — a thrill
  23. season — to add flavour
  24. kid — to tease

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