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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 · ground · bark · cabinet · mine · hide · bowl · band

  1. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  2. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  3. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  4. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  5. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  6. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  7. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  8. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  9. Did you ________________ the meat?
  10. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  11. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  12. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  13. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  14. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  15. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  16. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  17. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  18. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  19. What do you think of the new ________________?
  20. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  21. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  22. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  23. There's no middle ________________.
  24. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.

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

Answer key

  1. band — a music group
  2. ground — crushed
  3. season — of the year
  4. hide — to keep secret
  5. mine — an explosive
  6. season — in sport
  7. bark — of a tree
  8. ground — the earth
  9. season — to add flavour
  10. cabinet — a cupboard
  11. hide — animal skin
  12. band — a rubber band
  13. band — a ring
  14. hide — to keep secret
  15. bowl — a dish
  16. bark — a dog's sound
  17. bark — to shout
  18. mine — for digging
  19. cabinet — ministers
  20. bowl — to roll
  21. cabinet — ministers
  22. bowl — a football final
  23. ground — a position
  24. mine — belonging to me

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