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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: bass · pound · season · roll · jam · last · hide · tear

  1. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  2. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  3. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  4. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  5. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  6. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  7. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  8. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  9. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  10. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  11. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  12. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  13. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  14. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  15. We're on a ________________ here.
  16. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  17. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  18. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  19. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  20. Did you ________________ the meat?
  21. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  22. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  23. False peace will not ________________.
  24. Spring is a pleasant ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pound — for dogs
  2. bass — the instrument
  3. season — in sport
  4. pound — a weight
  5. last — final
  6. hide — to keep secret
  7. tear — to rip
  8. bass — low music
  9. hide — animal skin
  10. last — finally
  11. roll — a list
  12. roll — a cake
  13. jam — a tight spot
  14. jam — to spread on bread
  15. roll — on a roll
  16. tear — from crying
  17. bass — the fish
  18. tear — from crying
  19. pound — to hit hard
  20. season — to add flavour
  21. jam — in traffic
  22. hide — to keep secret
  23. last — to go on
  24. season — of the year

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