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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: roll · bark · content · firm · season · lie · squash · land

  1. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  2. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  3. We're on a ________________ here.
  4. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  5. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  6. When are we going to ________________?
  7. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  8. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  9. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  10. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  11. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  12. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  13. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  14. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  15. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  16. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  17. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  18. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  19. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  20. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  21. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  22. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  23. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  24. Did you ________________ the meat?

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

Answer key

  1. content — the amount
  2. roll — a cake
  3. roll — on a roll
  4. roll — a list
  5. lie — to recline
  6. land — to come down
  7. bark — a dog's sound
  8. land — a country
  9. squash — the sport
  10. firm — decided
  11. squash — to crush
  12. bark — to shout
  13. squash — the vegetable
  14. bark — of a tree
  15. season — of the year
  16. content — videos and posts
  17. land — ground
  18. content — happy
  19. firm — a company
  20. lie — an untruth
  21. season — in sport
  22. firm — steady
  23. lie — an untruth
  24. season — to add flavour

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