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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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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. Did you ________________ the meat?
  2. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  3. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  4. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  5. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  6. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  7. When are we going to ________________?
  8. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  9. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  10. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  11. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  12. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  13. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  14. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  15. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  16. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  17. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  18. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  19. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  20. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  21. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  22. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  23. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  24. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.

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

Answer key

  1. season — to add flavour
  2. straw — a straw man
  3. can — a tin
  4. staff — employees
  5. season — of the year
  6. staff — a stick
  7. land — to come down
  8. land — ground
  9. lie — to recline
  10. scale — for weighing
  11. straw — to clutch at straws
  12. lie — an untruth
  13. can — to be able to
  14. bark — a dog's sound
  15. season — in sport
  16. land — a country
  17. lie — an untruth
  18. bark — of a tree
  19. can — a tin
  20. scale — in music
  21. scale — size or range
  22. staff — employees
  23. straw — dry grass
  24. bark — to shout

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