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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: pitcher · squash · mine · pass · fork · season · bass · object

  1. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  2. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  3. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  4. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  5. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  6. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  7. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  8. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  9. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  10. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  11. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  12. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  13. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  14. Did you ________________ the meat?
  15. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  16. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  17. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  18. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  19. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  20. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  21. He is an ace ________________.
  22. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  23. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  24. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.

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

Answer key

  1. object — to protest
  2. pitcher — a jug
  3. squash — to crush
  4. squash — the vegetable
  5. object — a thing
  6. fork — to eat with
  7. fork — a garden tool
  8. bass — the instrument
  9. object — an aim
  10. pass — a permit
  11. bass — the fish
  12. bass — low music
  13. pitcher — a jug
  14. season — to add flavour
  15. mine — belonging to me
  16. season — in sport
  17. mine — for digging
  18. fork — in a road
  19. squash — the sport
  20. pass — to succeed
  21. pitcher — in baseball
  22. season — of the year
  23. mine — an explosive
  24. pass — to spend time

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