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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: bore · wind · ball · season · cell · tube · bark · safe

  1. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  2. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  3. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  4. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  5. The King held a masked ________________.
  6. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  7. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  8. Did you ________________ the meat?
  9. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  10. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  11. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  12. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  13. I'll be taking the ________________.
  14. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  15. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  16. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  17. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  18. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  19. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  20. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  21. He was locked up in a ________________.
  22. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  23. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  24. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?

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

Answer key

  1. safe — a strongbox
  2. season — in sport
  3. bore — gave birth
  4. bore — to drill
  5. ball — a dance
  6. tube — a container
  7. wind — to turn a key
  8. season — to add flavour
  9. tube — in a tire
  10. bark — to shout
  11. bark — of a tree
  12. safe — out of danger
  13. tube — the underground
  14. season — of the year
  15. cell — a phone
  16. wind — moving air
  17. bark — a dog's sound
  18. ball — a great time
  19. cell — in biology
  20. ball — a round shape
  21. cell — in a prison
  22. wind — moving air
  23. safe — out of danger
  24. bore — to tire

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