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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: stock · nail · bore · swing · date · season · can · row

  1. David sat on the ________________.
  2. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  3. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  4. Have you settled on a ________________?
  5. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  6. The ________________ went through the wall.
  7. Did you ________________ the meat?
  8. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  9. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  10. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  11. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  12. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  13. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  14. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  15. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  16. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  17. The ________________ market has crashed.
  18. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  19. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  20. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  21. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  22. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  23. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  24. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.

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

Answer key

  1. swing — to play on
  2. season — of the year
  3. bore — to tire
  4. date — on the calendar
  5. bore — gave birth
  6. nail — for a hammer
  7. season — to add flavour
  8. can — a tin
  9. row — a line
  10. swing — in golf
  11. can — a tin
  12. nail — for a hammer
  13. bore — to drill
  14. row — to paddle
  15. row — a quarrel
  16. season — in sport
  17. stock — shares
  18. date — on the calendar
  19. stock — a soup base
  20. can — to be able to
  21. nail — on a finger
  22. stock — goods
  23. swing — music
  24. date — the fruit

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