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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.

Make a worksheet

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: lean · stick · season · band · bass · cabinet · net · pit

  1. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  2. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  3. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  4. Did you ________________ the meat?
  5. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  6. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  7. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  8. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  9. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  10. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  11. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  12. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  13. What do you think of the new ________________?
  14. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  15. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  16. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  17. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  18. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  19. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  20. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  21. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  22. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  23. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  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. bass — the instrument
  2. lean — to bend
  3. net — after costs
  4. season — to add flavour
  5. stick — a piece of wood
  6. bass — low music
  7. stick — a piece of wood
  8. season — of the year
  9. pit — a fruit stone
  10. lean — thin
  11. band — a ring
  12. cabinet — a cupboard
  13. cabinet — ministers
  14. net — in sport
  15. stick — to attach or keep to
  16. season — in sport
  17. pit — a hole
  18. pit — in a race
  19. band — a rubber band
  20. bass — the fish
  21. net — for catching
  22. band — a music group
  23. cabinet — ministers
  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