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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: squash · season · bear · object · bound · land · hand · cabinet

  1. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  2. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  3. That was ________________ to happen.
  4. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  5. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  6. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  7. When are we going to ________________?
  8. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  9. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  10. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  11. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  12. Did you ________________ the meat?
  13. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  14. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  15. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  16. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  17. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  18. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  19. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  20. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  21. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  22. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  23. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  24. What do you think of the new ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. hand — part of the body
  2. season — in sport
  3. bound — certain
  4. squash — to crush
  5. land — ground
  6. cabinet — ministers
  7. land — to come down
  8. squash — the vegetable
  9. squash — the sport
  10. object — to protest
  11. object — an aim
  12. season — to add flavour
  13. hand — help
  14. bound — tied together
  15. bear — the animal
  16. bear — the animal
  17. land — a country
  18. season — of the year
  19. bear — to put up with
  20. hand — in cards
  21. bound — obliged
  22. cabinet — a cupboard
  23. object — a thing
  24. cabinet — ministers

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