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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: ground · wind · cabinet · season · scale · deal · pitcher · lean

  1. There's no middle ________________.
  2. Did you ________________ the meat?
  3. He is an ace ________________.
  4. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  5. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  6. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  7. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  8. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  9. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  10. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  11. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  12. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  13. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  14. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  15. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  16. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  17. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  18. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  19. What do you think of the new ________________?
  20. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  21. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  22. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  23. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  24. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.

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

Answer key

  1. ground — a position
  2. season — to add flavour
  3. pitcher — in baseball
  4. pitcher — a jug
  5. deal — an agreement
  6. lean — to bend
  7. wind — to turn a key
  8. lean — to rest against
  9. deal — to handle
  10. wind — moving air
  11. cabinet — ministers
  12. ground — crushed
  13. lean — thin
  14. pitcher — a jug
  15. deal — a big deal
  16. scale — size or range
  17. scale — in music
  18. season — of the year
  19. cabinet — ministers
  20. scale — for weighing
  21. ground — the earth
  22. cabinet — a cupboard
  23. season — in sport
  24. wind — moving air

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