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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: rash · roll · squash · bore · pound · season · chest · coach

  1. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  2. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  3. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  4. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  5. Did you ________________ the meat?
  6. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  7. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  8. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  9. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  10. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  11. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  12. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  13. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  14. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  15. Don't do anything ________________.
  16. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  17. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  18. Have you met the new head ________________?
  19. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  20. We're on a ________________ here.
  21. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  22. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  23. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  24. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pound — a weight
  2. season — in sport
  3. squash — to crush
  4. bore — to tire
  5. season — to add flavour
  6. squash — the sport
  7. pound — for dogs
  8. roll — a list
  9. bore — to drill
  10. rash — a series
  11. coach — a trainer
  12. coach — pulled by horses
  13. bore — gave birth
  14. squash — the vegetable
  15. rash — hasty
  16. rash — on the skin
  17. pound — to hit hard
  18. coach — a trainer
  19. chest — of your body
  20. roll — on a roll
  21. season — of the year
  22. chest — of your body
  23. chest — a box
  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