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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: bound · bank · bowl · lean · pass · season · jam · land

  1. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  2. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  3. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  4. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  5. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  6. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  7. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  8. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  9. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  10. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  11. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  12. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  13. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  14. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  15. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  16. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  17. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  18. Did you ________________ the meat?
  19. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  20. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  21. That was ________________ to happen.
  22. When are we going to ________________?
  23. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  24. Tom got himself in a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bowl — to roll
  2. jam — in traffic
  3. bound — obliged
  4. bank — of a river
  5. season — of the year
  6. bank — for money
  7. lean — to bend
  8. pass — a permit
  9. land — a country
  10. bowl — a dish
  11. land — ground
  12. bowl — a football final
  13. pass — to succeed
  14. jam — to spread on bread
  15. season — in sport
  16. lean — thin
  17. pass — to spend time
  18. season — to add flavour
  19. lean — to rest against
  20. bank — for money
  21. bound — certain
  22. land — to come down
  23. bound — tied together
  24. jam — a tight spot

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