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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: march · season · bass · bore · cold · squash · bowl · patient

  1. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  2. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  3. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  4. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  5. The water is too ________________.
  6. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  7. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  8. Did you ________________ the meat?
  9. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  10. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  11. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  12. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  13. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  14. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  15. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  16. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  17. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  18. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  19. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  20. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  21. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  22. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  23. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  24. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.

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

Answer key

  1. bass — the fish
  2. march — the month
  3. march — the month
  4. season — in sport
  5. cold — not warm
  6. march — music
  7. squash — to crush
  8. season — to add flavour
  9. season — of the year
  10. bass — the instrument
  11. bowl — a football final
  12. bore — to tire
  13. bass — low music
  14. squash — the sport
  15. bore — to drill
  16. bowl — to roll
  17. cold — an illness
  18. patient — calm and waiting
  19. patient — a sick person
  20. cold — the Cold War
  21. patient — a sick person
  22. bowl — a dish
  23. bore — gave birth
  24. squash — the vegetable

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