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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: season · bark · toast · leaves · present · chair · bore · rush

  1. Did you ________________ the meat?
  2. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  3. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  4. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  5. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  6. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  7. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  8. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  9. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  10. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  11. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  12. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  13. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  14. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  15. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  16. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  17. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  18. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  19. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  20. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  21. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  22. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  23. That must've been a ________________.
  24. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. season — to add flavour
  2. bore — to tire
  3. leaves — lets stay
  4. toast — the most admired
  5. season — in sport
  6. toast — a drink to someone
  7. rush — hurry
  8. bore — to drill
  9. chair — a leader
  10. toast — bread
  11. present — there
  12. bore — gave birth
  13. bark — a dog's sound
  14. season — of the year
  15. leaves — to go away
  16. chair — to sit on
  17. present — a gift
  18. bark — to shout
  19. leaves — of a tree
  20. present — the time now
  21. rush — to hurry
  22. chair — a professorship
  23. rush — a thrill
  24. bark — of a tree

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