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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 116 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. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  2. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  3. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  4. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  5. It's one o'clock ________________.
  6. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  7. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  8. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  9. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  10. When are we going to ________________?
  11. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  12. Did you ________________ the meat?
  13. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  14. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  15. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  16. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  17. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  18. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  19. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  20. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  21. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  22. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  23. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  24. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.

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

Answer key

  1. season — of the year
  2. season — in sport
  3. land — ground
  4. bark — to shout
  5. sharp — exactly
  6. lean — to bend
  7. sharp — clever
  8. net — for catching
  9. object — an aim
  10. land — to come down
  11. land — a country
  12. season — to add flavour
  13. net — in sport
  14. sharp — with an edge
  15. net — after costs
  16. bank — of a river
  17. object — a thing
  18. bank — for money
  19. lean — thin
  20. object — to protest
  21. bark — of a tree
  22. lean — to rest against
  23. bank — for money
  24. bark — a dog's sound

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