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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: club · lie · mine · mouse · season · lean · bank · land

  1. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  2. Did you ________________ the meat?
  3. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  4. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  5. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  6. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  7. When are we going to ________________?
  8. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  9. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  10. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  11. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  12. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  13. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  14. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  15. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  16. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  17. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  18. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  19. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  20. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  21. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  22. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  23. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  24. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.

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

Answer key

  1. season — of the year
  2. season — to add flavour
  3. bank — for money
  4. mine — an explosive
  5. mouse — the animal
  6. mouse — the animal
  7. land — to come down
  8. club — a group
  9. lie — an untruth
  10. mine — belonging to me
  11. club — for golf
  12. mouse — for a computer
  13. mine — for digging
  14. club — for dancing
  15. lie — to recline
  16. land — ground
  17. bank — for money
  18. lean — to bend
  19. land — a country
  20. season — in sport
  21. lean — thin
  22. lie — an untruth
  23. bank — of a river
  24. lean — to rest against

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