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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: bore · ball · season · lash · cap · net · march · prune

  1. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  2. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  3. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  4. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  5. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  6. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  7. The King held a masked ________________.
  8. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  9. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  10. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  11. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  12. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  13. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  14. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  15. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  16. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  17. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  18. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  19. Did you ________________ the meat?
  20. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  21. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  22. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  23. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  24. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.

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. march — music
  4. season — in sport
  5. prune — the fruit
  6. lash — to lash out
  7. ball — a dance
  8. march — the month
  9. lash — a whip stroke
  10. cap — of ice
  11. cap — a hat
  12. net — for catching
  13. prune — to trim
  14. net — in sport
  15. ball — a round shape
  16. march — the month
  17. prune — to trim
  18. cap — a lid
  19. season — to add flavour
  20. bore — gave birth
  21. lash — an eyelash
  22. net — after costs
  23. bore — to tire
  24. ball — a great time

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