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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 · season · last · bulb · drill · land · dip · mate

  1. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  2. Did you ________________ the meat?
  3. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  4. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  5. The light ________________ burned out.
  6. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  7. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  8. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  9. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  10. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  11. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  12. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  13. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  14. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  15. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  16. False peace will not ________________.
  17. I've got to change the light ________________.
  18. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  19. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  20. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  21. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  22. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  23. Have you found your soul ________________?
  24. When are we going to ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. land — a country
  2. season — to add flavour
  3. drill — a practice
  4. land — ground
  5. bulb — for light
  6. dip — to sink
  7. bore — gave birth
  8. bore — to drill
  9. last — final
  10. drill — the tool
  11. mate — to breed
  12. dip — to dunk
  13. bore — to tire
  14. last — finally
  15. bulb — of a plant
  16. last — to go on
  17. bulb — for light
  18. drill — army training
  19. mate — a friend
  20. season — in sport
  21. season — of the year
  22. dip — a sauce
  23. mate — a partner
  24. land — to come down

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