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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: land · bowl · wound · season · net · bass · firm · lean

  1. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  2. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  3. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  4. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  5. Did you ________________ the meat?
  6. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  7. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  8. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  9. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  10. When are we going to ________________?
  11. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  12. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  13. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  14. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  15. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  16. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  17. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  18. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  19. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  20. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  21. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  22. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  23. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  24. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.

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

Answer key

  1. season — in sport
  2. land — ground
  3. lean — thin
  4. wound — past of 'wind'
  5. season — to add flavour
  6. bass — low music
  7. lean — to bend
  8. bowl — a dish
  9. land — a country
  10. land — to come down
  11. bowl — a football final
  12. net — for catching
  13. firm — a company
  14. net — after costs
  15. bowl — to roll
  16. bass — the instrument
  17. net — in sport
  18. lean — to rest against
  19. wound — an injury
  20. wound — an injury
  21. season — of the year
  22. firm — steady
  23. bass — the fish
  24. firm — decided

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