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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 116 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: fork · cap · bank · season · kid · pop · land · ground

  1. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  2. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  3. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  4. We're almost out of ________________.
  5. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  6. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  7. There's no middle ________________.
  8. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  9. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  10. When are we going to ________________?
  11. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  12. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  13. Did you ________________ the meat?
  14. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  15. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  16. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  17. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  18. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  19. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  20. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  21. You don't need to ________________ round.
  22. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  23. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  24. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.

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. kid — child
  4. pop — soda
  5. fork — to eat with
  6. season — of the year
  7. ground — a position
  8. cap — of ice
  9. pop — music
  10. land — to come down
  11. ground — the earth
  12. cap — a hat
  13. season — to add flavour
  14. ground — crushed
  15. kid — to tease
  16. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  17. bank — for money
  18. land — a country
  19. bank — of a river
  20. fork — a garden tool
  21. pop — to visit
  22. cap — a lid
  23. fork — in a road
  24. bank — for money

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