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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: leaves · land · present · row · season · club · drill · mate

  1. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  2. When are we going to ________________?
  3. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  4. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  5. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  6. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  7. Have you found your soul ________________?
  8. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  9. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  10. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  11. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  12. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  13. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  14. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  15. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  16. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  17. Did you ________________ the meat?
  18. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  19. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  20. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  21. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  22. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  23. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  24. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.

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

Answer key

  1. drill — the tool
  2. land — to come down
  3. mate — to breed
  4. land — ground
  5. leaves — to go away
  6. land — a country
  7. mate — a partner
  8. present — there
  9. present — the time now
  10. leaves — of a tree
  11. row — a line
  12. club — for golf
  13. mate — a friend
  14. drill — army training
  15. present — a gift
  16. club — for dancing
  17. season — to add flavour
  18. season — of the year
  19. row — to paddle
  20. drill — a practice
  21. leaves — lets stay
  22. season — in sport
  23. row — a quarrel
  24. club — a group

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