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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. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  2. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  3. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  4. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  5. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  6. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  7. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  8. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  9. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  10. David sat on the ________________.
  11. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  12. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  13. Did you ________________ the meat?
  14. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  15. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  16. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  17. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  18. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  19. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  20. Don't do anything ________________.
  21. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  22. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  23. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  24. Tom got himself in a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. season — of the year
  2. bore — to drill
  3. clip — for paper
  4. swing — in golf
  5. clip — to cut
  6. band — a rubber band
  7. band — a music group
  8. swing — music
  9. rash — on the skin
  10. swing — to play on
  11. band — a ring
  12. jam — in traffic
  13. season — to add flavour
  14. bore — gave birth
  15. bear — the animal
  16. jam — to spread on bread
  17. clip — a video
  18. bear — to put up with
  19. rash — a series
  20. rash — hasty
  21. bear — the animal
  22. bore — to tire
  23. season — in sport
  24. jam — a tight spot

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