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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: season · firm · land · sharp · trunk · wake · ground · face

  1. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  2. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  3. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  4. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  5. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  6. It's one o'clock ________________.
  7. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  8. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  9. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  10. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  11. Did you ________________ the meat?
  12. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  13. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  14. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  15. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  16. There's no middle ________________.
  17. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  18. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  19. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  20. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  21. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  22. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  23. When are we going to ________________?
  24. I've got the luggage in my ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. season — in sport
  2. season — of the year
  3. firm — a company
  4. wake — before a funeral
  5. trunk — of a tree
  6. sharp — exactly
  7. wake — a trail
  8. ground — the earth
  9. land — ground
  10. firm — steady
  11. season — to add flavour
  12. trunk — of an elephant
  13. land — a country
  14. firm — decided
  15. face — to point toward
  16. ground — a position
  17. sharp — with an edge
  18. sharp — clever
  19. ground — crushed
  20. wake — to stop sleeping
  21. face — part of the head
  22. face — to confront
  23. land — to come down
  24. trunk — of a car

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