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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: mine · season · lie · last · bass · roll · ground · prune

  1. There's no middle ________________.
  2. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  3. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  4. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  5. Did you ________________ the meat?
  6. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  7. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  8. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  9. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  10. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  11. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  12. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  13. We're on a ________________ here.
  14. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  15. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  16. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  17. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  18. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  19. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  20. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  21. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  22. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  23. False peace will not ________________.
  24. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.

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

Answer key

  1. ground — a position
  2. roll — a list
  3. prune — the fruit
  4. roll — a cake
  5. season — to add flavour
  6. bass — the fish
  7. mine — belonging to me
  8. ground — crushed
  9. prune — to trim
  10. last — finally
  11. mine — for digging
  12. mine — an explosive
  13. roll — on a roll
  14. lie — an untruth
  15. bass — the instrument
  16. lie — to recline
  17. last — final
  18. lie — an untruth
  19. prune — to trim
  20. season — of the year
  21. season — in sport
  22. bass — low music
  23. last — to go on
  24. ground — the earth

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