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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 120 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 · can · wind · season · mine · suit · mug · stem

  1. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  2. Did you ________________ the meat?
  3. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  4. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  5. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  6. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  7. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  8. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  9. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  10. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  11. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  12. Where did you ________________ them?
  13. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  14. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  15. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  16. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  17. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  18. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  19. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  20. When will it ________________ you to start?
  21. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  22. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  23. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  24. He refilled his coffee ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. season — of the year
  2. season — to add flavour
  3. wind — moving air
  4. can — a tin
  5. bore — gave birth
  6. can — to be able to
  7. wind — to turn a key
  8. suit — clothes
  9. bore — to tire
  10. suit — in cards
  11. mine — belonging to me
  12. mug — to rob
  13. wind — moving air
  14. stem — to come from
  15. stem — a stem cell
  16. bore — to drill
  17. stem — of a plant
  18. season — in sport
  19. mine — an explosive
  20. suit — to fit
  21. mug — a face
  22. mine — for digging
  23. can — a tin
  24. mug — a cup

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