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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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 · squash · march · bore · pound · vault · jam · clip

  1. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  2. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  3. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  4. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  5. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  6. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  7. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  8. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  9. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  10. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  11. Did you ________________ the meat?
  12. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  13. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  14. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  15. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  16. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  17. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  18. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  19. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  20. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  21. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  22. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  23. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  24. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.

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

Answer key

  1. march — the month
  2. clip — a video
  3. bore — to drill
  4. clip — to cut
  5. pound — for dogs
  6. march — music
  7. jam — in traffic
  8. pound — a weight
  9. jam — a tight spot
  10. bore — to tire
  11. season — to add flavour
  12. squash — the vegetable
  13. squash — the sport
  14. march — the month
  15. season — of the year
  16. vault — a safe
  17. vault — in gymnastics
  18. bore — gave birth
  19. clip — for paper
  20. season — in sport
  21. vault — an arched ceiling
  22. jam — to spread on bread
  23. pound — to hit hard
  24. squash — to crush

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