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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: present · game · season · perch · bore · can · bound · staff

  1. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  2. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  3. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  4. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  5. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  6. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  7. That was a fun ________________.
  8. That was ________________ to happen.
  9. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  10. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  11. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  12. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  13. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  14. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  15. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  16. Did you ________________ the meat?
  17. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  18. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  19. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  20. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  21. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  22. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  23. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  24. ________________ you help me carry this box?

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

Answer key

  1. perch — for a bird
  2. can — a tin
  3. season — of the year
  4. staff — a stick
  5. bore — to drill
  6. present — a gift
  7. game — a match
  8. bound — certain
  9. present — there
  10. perch — the fish
  11. bore — gave birth
  12. perch — for a bird
  13. bound — tied together
  14. can — a tin
  15. game — wild animals
  16. season — to add flavour
  17. staff — employees
  18. bore — to tire
  19. staff — employees
  20. bound — obliged
  21. present — the time now
  22. season — in sport
  23. game — a kind of play
  24. can — to be able to

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