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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 · mine · stock · mate · march · season · bound · lie

  1. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  2. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  3. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  4. The ________________ market has crashed.
  5. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  6. That was ________________ to happen.
  7. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  8. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  9. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  10. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  11. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  12. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  13. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  14. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  15. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  16. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  17. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  18. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  19. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  20. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  21. Did you ________________ the meat?
  22. Have you found your soul ________________?
  23. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  24. Spring is a pleasant ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. march — the month
  2. lie — to recline
  3. mate — to breed
  4. stock — shares
  5. march — music
  6. bound — certain
  7. mate — a friend
  8. stock — a soup base
  9. mine — an explosive
  10. stock — goods
  11. march — the month
  12. bore — to tire
  13. bound — obliged
  14. bore — gave birth
  15. lie — an untruth
  16. mine — for digging
  17. lie — an untruth
  18. season — in sport
  19. bound — tied together
  20. mine — belonging to me
  21. season — to add flavour
  22. mate — a partner
  23. bore — to drill
  24. season — of the year

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