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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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: pass · land · tear · pitch · mine · roll · season · bark

  1. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  2. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  3. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  4. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  5. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  6. We're on a ________________ here.
  7. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  8. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  9. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  10. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  11. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  12. Did you ________________ the meat?
  13. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  14. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  15. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  16. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  17. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  18. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  19. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  20. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  21. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  22. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  23. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  24. When are we going to ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. mine — an explosive
  2. mine — belonging to me
  3. season — in sport
  4. land — ground
  5. bark — to shout
  6. roll — on a roll
  7. pass — to spend time
  8. mine — for digging
  9. roll — a cake
  10. pitch — a sales talk
  11. pass — to succeed
  12. season — to add flavour
  13. tear — from crying
  14. tear — from crying
  15. land — a country
  16. season — of the year
  17. bark — a dog's sound
  18. pitch — completely
  19. pitch — a sports field
  20. tear — to rip
  21. roll — a list
  22. pass — a permit
  23. bark — of a tree
  24. land — to come down

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