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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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: wake · band · wind · row · bore · season · mouse · net

  1. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  2. Did you ________________ the meat?
  3. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  4. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  5. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  6. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  7. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  8. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  9. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  10. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  11. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  12. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  13. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  14. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  15. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  16. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  17. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  18. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  19. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  20. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  21. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  22. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  23. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  24. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.

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

Answer key

  1. season — in sport
  2. season — to add flavour
  3. row — a line
  4. wind — moving air
  5. bore — gave birth
  6. wind — moving air
  7. mouse — the animal
  8. bore — to tire
  9. row — to paddle
  10. net — after costs
  11. band — a music group
  12. net — in sport
  13. wind — to turn a key
  14. season — of the year
  15. band — a rubber band
  16. wake — before a funeral
  17. band — a ring
  18. bore — to drill
  19. row — a quarrel
  20. mouse — for a computer
  21. mouse — the animal
  22. net — for catching
  23. wake — a trail
  24. wake — to stop sleeping

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