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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: bowl · clip · toast · ground · leaves · season · bark · jam

  1. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  2. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  3. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  4. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  5. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  6. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  7. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  8. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  9. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  10. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  11. There's no middle ________________.
  12. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  13. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  14. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  15. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  16. Did you ________________ the meat?
  17. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  18. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  19. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  20. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  21. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  22. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  23. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  24. Add some ________________ pepper to it.

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

Answer key

  1. ground — the earth
  2. bowl — a football final
  3. clip — to cut
  4. bowl — a dish
  5. toast — the most admired
  6. leaves — to go away
  7. jam — to spread on bread
  8. jam — a tight spot
  9. bark — to shout
  10. toast — bread
  11. ground — a position
  12. leaves — of a tree
  13. bark — a dog's sound
  14. clip — for paper
  15. clip — a video
  16. season — to add flavour
  17. jam — in traffic
  18. toast — a drink to someone
  19. season — in sport
  20. season — of the year
  21. leaves — lets stay
  22. bark — of a tree
  23. bowl — to roll
  24. ground — crushed

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