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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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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: bass · bowl · pound · lean · tube · game · craft · season

  1. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  2. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  3. That was a fun ________________.
  4. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  5. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  6. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  7. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  8. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  9. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  10. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  11. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  12. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  13. I'll be taking the ________________.
  14. Did you ________________ the meat?
  15. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  16. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  17. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  18. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  19. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  20. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  21. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  22. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  23. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  24. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.

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

Answer key

  1. game — a kind of play
  2. bowl — to roll
  3. game — a match
  4. season — in sport
  5. lean — thin
  6. bowl — a dish
  7. pound — for dogs
  8. pound — a weight
  9. lean — to rest against
  10. season — of the year
  11. lean — to bend
  12. game — wild animals
  13. tube — the underground
  14. season — to add flavour
  15. craft — boats
  16. tube — in a tire
  17. craft — a skill
  18. bass — the instrument
  19. tube — a container
  20. craft — a handicraft
  21. bass — the fish
  22. pound — to hit hard
  23. bowl — a football final
  24. bass — low music

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