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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: season · drill · trunk · rock · bore · ball · mark · temple

  1. Did you ________________ the meat?
  2. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  3. When was this ________________ built?
  4. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  5. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  6. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  7. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  8. The King held a masked ________________.
  9. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  10. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  11. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  12. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  13. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  14. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  15. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  16. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  17. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  18. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  19. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  20. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  21. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  22. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  23. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  24. The elephant has a huge ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. season — to add flavour
  2. drill — army training
  3. temple — a place of worship
  4. bore — gave birth
  5. rock — to move gently
  6. ball — a round shape
  7. mark — to pay attention
  8. ball — a dance
  9. trunk — of a tree
  10. bore — to drill
  11. season — in sport
  12. bore — to tire
  13. rock — a stone
  14. ball — a great time
  15. drill — the tool
  16. temple — a place of worship
  17. season — of the year
  18. drill — a practice
  19. mark — a trace
  20. trunk — of a car
  21. rock — music
  22. mark — a grade
  23. temple — side of the head
  24. trunk — of an elephant

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