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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 116 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
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: season · bat · mate · lean · squash · land · tube · scale

  1. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  2. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  3. Have you found your soul ________________?
  4. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  5. Did you ________________ the meat?
  6. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  7. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  8. I'll be taking the ________________.
  9. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  10. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  11. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  12. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  13. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  14. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  15. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  16. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  17. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  18. When are we going to ________________?
  19. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  20. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  21. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  22. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  23. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  24. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.

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

Answer key

  1. scale — in music
  2. bat — for baseball
  3. mate — a partner
  4. lean — thin
  5. season — to add flavour
  6. mate — a friend
  7. scale — for weighing
  8. tube — the underground
  9. scale — size or range
  10. land — a country
  11. squash — the sport
  12. squash — the vegetable
  13. season — of the year
  14. mate — to breed
  15. land — ground
  16. tube — a container
  17. lean — to bend
  18. land — to come down
  19. bat — in an idiom
  20. bat — the animal
  21. tube — in a tire
  22. season — in sport
  23. lean — to rest against
  24. squash — to crush

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