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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.

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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 · lean · craft · saw · ball · land · march · season

  1. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  2. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  3. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  4. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  5. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  6. When are we going to ________________?
  7. He works in a ________________ mill.
  8. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  9. Did you ________________ the meat?
  10. She's very handy with a ________________.
  11. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  12. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  13. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  14. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  15. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  16. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  17. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  18. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  19. The King held a masked ________________.
  20. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  21. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  22. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  23. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  24. He was blown up by a land ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. ball — a great time
  2. march — the month
  3. craft — a handicraft
  4. saw — past of 'see'
  5. march — the month
  6. land — to come down
  7. saw — the tool
  8. craft — a skill
  9. season — to add flavour
  10. saw — the tool
  11. lean — thin
  12. craft — boats
  13. mine — belonging to me
  14. season — in sport
  15. mine — for digging
  16. march — music
  17. land — ground
  18. season — of the year
  19. ball — a dance
  20. lean — to bend
  21. land — a country
  22. lean — to rest against
  23. ball — a round shape
  24. mine — an explosive

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