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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: season · bound · file · bore · bulb · club · cell · roll

  1. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  2. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  3. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  4. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  5. He was locked up in a ________________.
  6. That was ________________ to happen.
  7. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  8. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  9. We're on a ________________ here.
  10. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  11. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  12. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  13. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  14. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  15. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  16. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  17. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  18. The light ________________ burned out.
  19. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  20. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  21. I've got to change the light ________________.
  22. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  23. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  24. Did you ________________ the meat?

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

Answer key

  1. roll — a cake
  2. bound — tied together
  3. cell — a phone
  4. bound — obliged
  5. cell — in a prison
  6. bound — certain
  7. club — for golf
  8. file — a line of people
  9. roll — on a roll
  10. file — a document
  11. season — of the year
  12. bore — to tire
  13. file — a tool
  14. bulb — of a plant
  15. bore — gave birth
  16. club — a group
  17. season — in sport
  18. bulb — for light
  19. club — for dancing
  20. cell — in biology
  21. bulb — for light
  22. bore — to drill
  23. roll — a list
  24. season — to add flavour

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