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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: leaves · lash · bore · calf · fall · rule · court · season

  1. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  2. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  3. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  4. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  5. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  6. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  7. The ball is in your ________________.
  8. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  9. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  10. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  11. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  12. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  13. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  14. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  15. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  16. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  17. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  18. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  19. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  20. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  21. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  22. Did you ________________ the meat?
  23. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  24. The ________________ change colour in autumn.

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

Answer key

  1. bore — to drill
  2. rule — a law
  3. lash — a whip stroke
  4. calf — of the leg
  5. leaves — to go away
  6. rule — government
  7. court — for sport
  8. rule — to rule out
  9. fall — the season
  10. bore — to tire
  11. court — of a king
  12. bore — gave birth
  13. leaves — lets stay
  14. season — of the year
  15. season — in sport
  16. court — of law
  17. lash — an eyelash
  18. fall — to drop
  19. fall — to drop
  20. calf — a young animal
  21. lash — to lash out
  22. season — to add flavour
  23. calf — a young animal
  24. leaves — of a tree

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