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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 120 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 · bound · lie · current · field · mug · snap · season

  1. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  2. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  3. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  4. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  5. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  6. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  7. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  8. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  9. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  10. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  11. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  12. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  13. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  14. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  15. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  16. That was ________________ to happen.
  17. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  18. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  19. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  20. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  21. Where did you ________________ them?
  22. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  23. Did you ________________ the meat?
  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. season — of the year
  2. snap — to speak sharply
  3. season — in sport
  4. field — for sport
  5. lie — an untruth
  6. bound — tied together
  7. field — a subject
  8. field — farmland
  9. bore — to tire
  10. current — of water
  11. mug — a face
  12. mug — a cup
  13. snap — to snap out of it
  14. current — happening now
  15. snap — to click
  16. bound — certain
  17. bound — obliged
  18. current — electric
  19. lie — to recline
  20. bore — gave birth
  21. mug — to rob
  22. lie — an untruth
  23. season — to add flavour
  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