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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 116 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 · cabinet · last · season · board · tear · tube · march

  1. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  2. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  3. What do you think of the new ________________?
  4. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  5. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  6. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  7. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  8. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  9. False peace will not ________________.
  10. Did you ________________ the meat?
  11. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  12. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  13. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  14. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  15. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  16. I'll be taking the ________________.
  17. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  18. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  19. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  20. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  21. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  22. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  23. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  24. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.

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

Answer key

  1. season — in sport
  2. board — a committee
  3. cabinet — ministers
  4. tube — a container
  5. board — to get on
  6. tear — to rip
  7. march — the month
  8. march — the month
  9. last — to go on
  10. season — to add flavour
  11. cabinet — a cupboard
  12. cabinet — ministers
  13. bore — to drill
  14. board — a flat piece
  15. tear — from crying
  16. tube — the underground
  17. tube — in a tire
  18. bore — to tire
  19. bore — gave birth
  20. last — finally
  21. tear — from crying
  22. season — of the year
  23. last — final
  24. march — music

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