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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 · lie · object · net · prune · ground · can · wind

  1. There's no middle ________________.
  2. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  3. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  4. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  5. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  6. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  7. Did you ________________ the meat?
  8. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  9. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  10. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  11. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  12. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  13. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  14. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  15. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  16. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  17. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  18. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  19. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  20. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  21. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  22. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  23. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  24. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. ground — a position
  2. prune — to trim
  3. wind — to turn a key
  4. wind — moving air
  5. wind — moving air
  6. prune — the fruit
  7. season — to add flavour
  8. ground — crushed
  9. can — a tin
  10. lie — an untruth
  11. lie — an untruth
  12. object — a thing
  13. can — to be able to
  14. net — after costs
  15. season — in sport
  16. prune — to trim
  17. net — in sport
  18. lie — to recline
  19. can — a tin
  20. ground — the earth
  21. season — of the year
  22. net — for catching
  23. object — to protest
  24. object — an aim

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