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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: leaves · swing · current · temple · deal · season · march · bore

  1. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  2. When was this ________________ built?
  3. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  4. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  5. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  6. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  7. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  8. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  9. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  10. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  11. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  12. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  13. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  14. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  15. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  16. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  17. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  18. David sat on the ________________.
  19. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  20. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  21. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  22. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  23. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  24. Did you ________________ the meat?

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

Answer key

  1. current — of water
  2. temple — a place of worship
  3. deal — an agreement
  4. swing — music
  5. current — electric
  6. temple — a place of worship
  7. march — the month
  8. bore — to tire
  9. deal — a big deal
  10. march — music
  11. temple — side of the head
  12. march — the month
  13. leaves — of a tree
  14. bore — to drill
  15. bore — gave birth
  16. deal — to handle
  17. swing — in golf
  18. swing — to play on
  19. season — of the year
  20. season — in sport
  21. leaves — to go away
  22. leaves — lets stay
  23. current — happening now
  24. season — to add flavour

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