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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 · present · drill · pop · bore · file · spring · bear

  1. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  2. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  3. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  4. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  5. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  6. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  7. We're almost out of ________________.
  8. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  9. You don't need to ________________ round.
  10. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  11. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  12. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  13. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  14. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  15. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  16. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  17. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  18. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  19. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  20. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  21. Did you ________________ the meat?
  22. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  23. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  24. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.

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

Answer key

  1. file — a line of people
  2. season — in sport
  3. file — a tool
  4. pop — music
  5. file — a document
  6. bore — gave birth
  7. pop — soda
  8. bear — the animal
  9. pop — to visit
  10. bear — to put up with
  11. season — of the year
  12. drill — a practice
  13. present — the time now
  14. spring — a coil
  15. bear — the animal
  16. spring — of water
  17. present — there
  18. bore — to tire
  19. spring — the season
  20. drill — army training
  21. season — to add flavour
  22. present — a gift
  23. drill — the tool
  24. bore — to drill

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