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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: board · bass · scale · season · stand · wound · prune · net

  1. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  2. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  3. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  4. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  5. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  6. Did you ________________ the meat?
  7. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  8. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  9. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  10. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  11. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  12. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  13. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  14. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  15. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  16. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  17. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  18. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  19. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  20. I can't ________________ this cold.
  21. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  22. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  23. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  24. A ________________ is just a dried plum.

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

Answer key

  1. board — a committee
  2. bass — the instrument
  3. season — of the year
  4. bass — low music
  5. bass — the fish
  6. season — to add flavour
  7. stand — for spectators
  8. scale — size or range
  9. scale — in music
  10. board — a flat piece
  11. wound — past of 'wind'
  12. net — for catching
  13. prune — to trim
  14. season — in sport
  15. board — to get on
  16. wound — an injury
  17. scale — for weighing
  18. wound — an injury
  19. net — after costs
  20. stand — to bear
  21. stand — on your feet
  22. prune — to trim
  23. net — in sport
  24. prune — the fruit

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