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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.

Words on the sheet
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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: net · saw · season · perch · squash · bass · wind · land

  1. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  2. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  3. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  4. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  5. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  6. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  7. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  8. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  9. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  10. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  11. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  12. She's very handy with a ________________.
  13. He works in a ________________ mill.
  14. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  15. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  16. Did you ________________ the meat?
  17. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  18. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  19. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  20. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  21. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  22. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  23. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  24. When are we going to ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. net — after costs
  2. saw — past of 'see'
  3. squash — to crush
  4. wind — to turn a key
  5. perch — for a bird
  6. season — of the year
  7. bass — the instrument
  8. squash — the sport
  9. land — a country
  10. squash — the vegetable
  11. season — in sport
  12. saw — the tool
  13. saw — the tool
  14. bass — the fish
  15. wind — moving air
  16. season — to add flavour
  17. net — in sport
  18. land — ground
  19. perch — for a bird
  20. perch — the fish
  21. bass — low music
  22. net — for catching
  23. wind — moving air
  24. land — to come down

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