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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 120 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: ground · cell · tube · bore · march · club · chip · season

  1. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  2. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  3. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  4. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  5. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  6. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  7. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  8. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  9. He was locked up in a ________________.
  10. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  11. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  12. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  13. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  14. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  15. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  16. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  17. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  18. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  19. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  20. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  21. Did you ________________ the meat?
  22. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  23. There's no middle ________________.
  24. I'll be taking the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. ground — the earth
  2. march — the month
  3. tube — in a tire
  4. bore — to drill
  5. chip — in a computer
  6. club — for golf
  7. club — for dancing
  8. march — the month
  9. cell — in a prison
  10. tube — a container
  11. cell — in biology
  12. ground — crushed
  13. chip — to eat
  14. bore — gave birth
  15. season — of the year
  16. club — a group
  17. season — in sport
  18. cell — a phone
  19. chip — for betting
  20. march — music
  21. season — to add flavour
  22. bore — to tire
  23. ground — a position
  24. tube — the underground

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