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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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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  2. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  3. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  4. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  5. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  6. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  7. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  8. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  9. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  10. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  11. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  12. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  13. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  14. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  15. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  16. Did you ________________ the meat?
  17. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  18. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  19. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  20. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  21. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  22. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  23. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  24. He was locked up in a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. season — in sport
  2. bark — to shout
  3. clip — a video
  4. bore — to drill
  5. season — of the year
  6. clip — to cut
  7. bore — to tire
  8. clip — for paper
  9. bowl — a football final
  10. bore — gave birth
  11. fan — a supporter
  12. leaves — lets stay
  13. bark — of a tree
  14. leaves — of a tree
  15. fan — a supporter
  16. season — to add flavour
  17. cell — a phone
  18. leaves — to go away
  19. bowl — a dish
  20. cell — in biology
  21. bowl — to roll
  22. fan — to cool the air
  23. bark — a dog's sound
  24. cell — in a prison

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