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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: drill · mate · bore · ball · cell · pound · date · spring

  1. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  2. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  3. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  4. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  5. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  6. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  7. He was locked up in a ________________.
  8. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  9. Have you settled on a ________________?
  10. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  11. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  12. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  13. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  14. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  15. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  16. Have you found your soul ________________?
  17. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  18. The King held a masked ________________.
  19. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  20. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  21. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  22. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  23. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  24. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!

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

Answer key

  1. pound — for dogs
  2. ball — a great time
  3. mate — a friend
  4. ball — a round shape
  5. date — the fruit
  6. drill — army training
  7. cell — in a prison
  8. bore — gave birth
  9. date — on the calendar
  10. spring — of water
  11. spring — a coil
  12. cell — in biology
  13. drill — the tool
  14. drill — a practice
  15. pound — to hit hard
  16. mate — a partner
  17. pound — a weight
  18. ball — a dance
  19. spring — the season
  20. bore — to drill
  21. date — on the calendar
  22. bore — to tire
  23. mate — to breed
  24. cell — a phone

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