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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 · leaves · bass · net · cabinet · craft · mine · pop

  1. Did you ________________ the meat?
  2. What do you think of the new ________________?
  3. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  4. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  5. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  6. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  7. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  8. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  9. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  10. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  11. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  12. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  13. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  14. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  15. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  16. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  17. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  18. You don't need to ________________ round.
  19. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  20. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  21. We're almost out of ________________.
  22. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  23. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  24. The train ________________ at six o'clock.

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

Answer key

  1. season — to add flavour
  2. cabinet — ministers
  3. craft — a skill
  4. leaves — of a tree
  5. net — for catching
  6. bass — the instrument
  7. craft — boats
  8. net — in sport
  9. mine — belonging to me
  10. mine — an explosive
  11. season — in sport
  12. net — after costs
  13. mine — for digging
  14. season — of the year
  15. bass — the fish
  16. cabinet — a cupboard
  17. pop — music
  18. pop — to visit
  19. craft — a handicraft
  20. cabinet — ministers
  21. pop — soda
  22. bass — low music
  23. leaves — lets stay
  24. leaves — to go away

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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