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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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: land · season · march · pitcher · calf · staff · mine · row

  1. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  2. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  3. Did you ________________ the meat?
  4. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  5. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  6. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  7. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  8. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  9. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  10. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  11. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  12. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  13. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  14. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  15. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  16. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  17. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  18. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  19. He is an ace ________________.
  20. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  21. When are we going to ________________?
  22. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  23. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  24. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.

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

Answer key

  1. march — the month
  2. pitcher — a jug
  3. season — to add flavour
  4. mine — belonging to me
  5. row — to paddle
  6. march — music
  7. march — the month
  8. mine — for digging
  9. calf — of the leg
  10. pitcher — a jug
  11. staff — employees
  12. land — a country
  13. land — ground
  14. season — in sport
  15. staff — a stick
  16. calf — a young animal
  17. row — a quarrel
  18. season — of the year
  19. pitcher — in baseball
  20. mine — an explosive
  21. land — to come down
  22. calf — a young animal
  23. staff — employees
  24. row — a line

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