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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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 · lash · bore · club · row · press · hand · bowl

  1. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  2. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  3. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  4. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  5. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  6. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  7. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  8. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  9. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  10. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  11. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  12. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  13. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  14. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  15. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  16. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  17. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  18. Did you ________________ the button?
  19. Did you ________________ the meat?
  20. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  21. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  22. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  23. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  24. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.

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

Answer key

  1. lash — a whip stroke
  2. season — in sport
  3. row — a line
  4. bowl — a dish
  5. bore — to drill
  6. hand — help
  7. club — for dancing
  8. season — of the year
  9. lash — an eyelash
  10. lash — to lash out
  11. hand — part of the body
  12. bore — to tire
  13. press — a publisher
  14. press — newspapers
  15. row — to paddle
  16. club — for golf
  17. club — a group
  18. press — to push
  19. season — to add flavour
  20. row — a quarrel
  21. hand — in cards
  22. bore — gave birth
  23. bowl — a football final
  24. bowl — to roll

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