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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: swing · hide · mine · wake · clip · season · roll · bore

  1. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  2. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  3. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  4. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  5. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  6. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  7. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  8. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  9. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  10. We're on a ________________ here.
  11. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  12. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  13. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  14. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  15. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  16. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  17. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  18. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  19. Did you ________________ the meat?
  20. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  21. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  22. David sat on the ________________.
  23. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  24. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. roll — a list
  2. clip — for paper
  3. hide — animal skin
  4. bore — to drill
  5. clip — to cut
  6. hide — to keep secret
  7. clip — a video
  8. bore — gave birth
  9. swing — in golf
  10. roll — on a roll
  11. season — of the year
  12. bore — to tire
  13. mine — an explosive
  14. mine — for digging
  15. hide — to keep secret
  16. swing — music
  17. season — in sport
  18. mine — belonging to me
  19. season — to add flavour
  20. wake — to stop sleeping
  21. wake — before a funeral
  22. swing — to play on
  23. wake — a trail
  24. roll — a cake

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