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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: roll · season · wound · squash · board · bore · march · leaves

  1. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  2. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  3. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  4. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  5. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  6. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  7. Did you ________________ the meat?
  8. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  9. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  10. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  11. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  12. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  13. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  14. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  15. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  16. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  17. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  18. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  19. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  20. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  21. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  22. We're on a ________________ here.
  23. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  24. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.

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

Answer key

  1. leaves — to go away
  2. board — a flat piece
  3. roll — a cake
  4. bore — to tire
  5. wound — an injury
  6. squash — the sport
  7. season — to add flavour
  8. march — the month
  9. wound — past of 'wind'
  10. season — in sport
  11. roll — a list
  12. leaves — of a tree
  13. squash — to crush
  14. wound — an injury
  15. squash — the vegetable
  16. season — of the year
  17. leaves — lets stay
  18. march — music
  19. board — a committee
  20. bore — to drill
  21. bore — gave birth
  22. roll — on a roll
  23. march — the month
  24. board — to get on

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