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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. Did you ________________ the meat?
  3. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  4. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  5. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  6. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  7. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  8. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  9. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  10. I'll be taking the ________________.
  11. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  12. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  13. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  14. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  15. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  16. It's one o'clock ________________.
  17. There's no middle ________________.
  18. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  19. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  20. When are we going to ________________?
  21. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  22. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  23. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  24. That was ________________ to happen.

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

Answer key

  1. season — of the year
  2. season — to add flavour
  3. bound — tied together
  4. ground — crushed
  5. tube — a container
  6. bound — obliged
  7. season — in sport
  8. dip — to sink
  9. land — ground
  10. tube — the underground
  11. bank — of a river
  12. sharp — with an edge
  13. bank — for money
  14. ground — the earth
  15. sharp — clever
  16. sharp — exactly
  17. ground — a position
  18. dip — a sauce
  19. bank — for money
  20. land — to come down
  21. tube — in a tire
  22. land — a country
  23. dip — to dunk
  24. bound — certain

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