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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: season · firm · club · bound · mine · face · can · bay

  1. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  2. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  3. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  4. My mare is ________________ in color.
  5. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  6. Did you ________________ the meat?
  7. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  8. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  9. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  10. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  11. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  12. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  13. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  14. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  15. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  16. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  17. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  18. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  19. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  20. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  21. That was ________________ to happen.
  22. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  23. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  24. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.

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

Answer key

  1. mine — for digging
  2. season — of the year
  3. can — a tin
  4. bay — a horse colour
  5. club — for golf
  6. season — to add flavour
  7. bay — a part of the sea
  8. club — a group
  9. bay — to keep at bay
  10. can — to be able to
  11. firm — a company
  12. face — to confront
  13. season — in sport
  14. bound — tied together
  15. firm — steady
  16. face — part of the head
  17. firm — decided
  18. can — a tin
  19. bound — obliged
  20. club — for dancing
  21. bound — certain
  22. mine — an explosive
  23. face — to point toward
  24. mine — belonging to me

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