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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.

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 · bass · deal · tear · scale · bowl · game · prune

  1. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  2. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  3. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  4. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  5. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  6. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  7. That was a fun ________________.
  8. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  9. Did you ________________ the meat?
  10. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  11. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  12. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  13. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  14. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  15. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  16. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  17. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  18. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  19. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  20. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  21. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  22. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  23. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  24. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.

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

Answer key

  1. tear — from crying
  2. deal — an agreement
  3. bowl — to roll
  4. deal — a big deal
  5. bowl — a football final
  6. scale — in music
  7. game — a match
  8. game — a kind of play
  9. season — to add flavour
  10. season — of the year
  11. tear — from crying
  12. season — in sport
  13. bass — low music
  14. scale — for weighing
  15. prune — to trim
  16. prune — the fruit
  17. deal — to handle
  18. tear — to rip
  19. game — wild animals
  20. bass — the fish
  21. bass — the instrument
  22. bowl — a dish
  23. scale — size or range
  24. prune — to trim

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