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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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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: stem · bore · bay · season · last · pound · club · kid

  1. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  2. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  3. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  4. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  5. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  6. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  7. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  8. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  9. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  10. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  11. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  12. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  13. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  14. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  15. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  16. False peace will not ________________.
  17. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  18. My mare is ________________ in color.
  19. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  20. Did you ________________ the meat?
  21. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  22. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  23. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  24. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. club — a group
  2. season — of the year
  3. stem — to come from
  4. pound — to hit hard
  5. last — finally
  6. bore — gave birth
  7. stem — a stem cell
  8. bore — to drill
  9. club — for golf
  10. pound — a weight
  11. pound — for dogs
  12. bay — to keep at bay
  13. club — for dancing
  14. kid — child
  15. last — final
  16. last — to go on
  17. kid — to tease
  18. bay — a horse colour
  19. bore — to tire
  20. season — to add flavour
  21. stem — of a plant
  22. bay — a part of the sea
  23. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  24. season — in sport

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