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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 116 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: bore · season · bowl · bat · pitcher · stock · charge · prune

  1. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  2. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  3. The ________________ market has crashed.
  4. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  5. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  6. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  7. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  8. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  9. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  10. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  11. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  12. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  13. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  14. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  15. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  16. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  17. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  18. He is an ace ________________.
  19. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  20. Did you ________________ the meat?
  21. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  22. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  23. The tickets are free of ________________.
  24. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. season — of the year
  2. pitcher — a jug
  3. stock — shares
  4. bat — the animal
  5. bowl — a football final
  6. prune — to trim
  7. season — in sport
  8. bore — gave birth
  9. bore — to drill
  10. charge — in control
  11. bat — for baseball
  12. bowl — to roll
  13. bat — in an idiom
  14. pitcher — a jug
  15. charge — electricity
  16. bore — to tire
  17. prune — the fruit
  18. pitcher — in baseball
  19. stock — goods
  20. season — to add flavour
  21. stock — a soup base
  22. prune — to trim
  23. charge — a price
  24. bowl — a dish

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