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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: bound · track · scale · season · roll · dip · wind · ground

  1. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  2. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  3. That was ________________ to happen.
  4. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  5. Did you ________________ the meat?
  6. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  7. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  8. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  9. We're on a ________________ here.
  10. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  11. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  12. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  13. There's no middle ________________.
  14. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  15. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  16. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  17. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  18. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  19. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  20. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  21. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  22. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  23. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  24. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. dip — to sink
  2. season — of the year
  3. bound — certain
  4. ground — crushed
  5. season — to add flavour
  6. wind — to turn a key
  7. track — a song
  8. dip — a sauce
  9. roll — on a roll
  10. wind — moving air
  11. scale — size or range
  12. track — a path
  13. ground — a position
  14. roll — a list
  15. roll — a cake
  16. bound — tied together
  17. dip — to dunk
  18. ground — the earth
  19. wind — moving air
  20. bound — obliged
  21. scale — in music
  22. scale — for weighing
  23. track — to keep track
  24. season — in sport

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