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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: degree · last · charge · scale · land · wind · pound · season

  1. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  2. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  3. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  4. Did you ________________ the meat?
  5. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  6. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  7. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  8. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  9. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  10. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  11. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  12. When are we going to ________________?
  13. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  14. The tickets are free of ________________.
  15. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  16. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  17. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  18. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  19. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  20. False peace will not ________________.
  21. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  22. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  23. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  24. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. land — ground
  2. scale — in music
  3. wind — to turn a key
  4. season — to add flavour
  5. wind — moving air
  6. degree — from a university
  7. pound — to hit hard
  8. season — of the year
  9. last — finally
  10. pound — a weight
  11. wind — moving air
  12. land — to come down
  13. charge — in control
  14. charge — a price
  15. last — final
  16. scale — size or range
  17. scale — for weighing
  18. pound — for dogs
  19. degree — an amount
  20. last — to go on
  21. land — a country
  22. charge — electricity
  23. degree — temperature
  24. season — in sport

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