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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.

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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: season · leaves · fall · ground · net · club · staff · cold

  1. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  2. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  3. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  4. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  5. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  6. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  7. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  8. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  9. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  10. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  11. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  12. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  13. There's no middle ________________.
  14. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  15. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  16. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  17. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  18. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  19. Did you ________________ the meat?
  20. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  21. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  22. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  23. The water is too ________________.
  24. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.

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

Answer key

  1. fall — the season
  2. fall — to drop
  3. leaves — of a tree
  4. ground — the earth
  5. leaves — to go away
  6. net — in sport
  7. season — in sport
  8. fall — to drop
  9. season — of the year
  10. cold — the Cold War
  11. leaves — lets stay
  12. net — after costs
  13. ground — a position
  14. ground — crushed
  15. club — for golf
  16. net — for catching
  17. staff — employees
  18. staff — employees
  19. season — to add flavour
  20. cold — an illness
  21. club — for dancing
  22. staff — a stick
  23. cold — not warm
  24. club — a group

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