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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: season · bore · root · bear · club · mate · march · saw

  1. Did you ________________ the meat?
  2. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  3. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  4. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  5. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  6. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  7. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  8. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  9. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  10. He works in a ________________ mill.
  11. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  12. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  13. She's very handy with a ________________.
  14. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  15. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  16. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  17. Have you found your soul ________________?
  18. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  19. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  20. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  21. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  22. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  23. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  24. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.

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

Answer key

  1. season — to add flavour
  2. root — of a plant
  3. bear — the animal
  4. saw — past of 'see'
  5. march — music
  6. club — a group
  7. bore — to tire
  8. root — the cause
  9. march — the month
  10. saw — the tool
  11. season — in sport
  12. season — of the year
  13. saw — the tool
  14. club — for golf
  15. march — the month
  16. club — for dancing
  17. mate — a partner
  18. bore — to drill
  19. bear — the animal
  20. root — of a word
  21. bear — to put up with
  22. mate — to breed
  23. mate — a friend
  24. bore — gave birth

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