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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: row · trunk · deal · saw · bass · spring · season · bore

  1. She's very handy with a ________________.
  2. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  3. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  4. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  5. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  6. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  7. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  8. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  9. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  10. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  11. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  12. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  13. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  14. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  15. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  16. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  17. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  18. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  19. Did you ________________ the meat?
  20. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  21. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  22. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  23. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  24. He works in a ________________ mill.

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

Answer key

  1. saw — the tool
  2. deal — to handle
  3. spring — of water
  4. season — of the year
  5. trunk — of an elephant
  6. bass — the fish
  7. row — a quarrel
  8. bass — the instrument
  9. deal — an agreement
  10. deal — a big deal
  11. spring — the season
  12. row — to paddle
  13. trunk — of a tree
  14. bore — to tire
  15. spring — a coil
  16. bass — low music
  17. row — a line
  18. bore — gave birth
  19. season — to add flavour
  20. saw — past of 'see'
  21. trunk — of a car
  22. season — in sport
  23. bore — to drill
  24. saw — the tool

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