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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: land · mark · bowl · bore · court · trunk · season · squash

  1. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  2. Did you ________________ the meat?
  3. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  4. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  5. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  6. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  7. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  8. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  9. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  10. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  11. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  12. The ball is in your ________________.
  13. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  14. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  15. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  16. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  17. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  18. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  19. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  20. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  21. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  22. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  23. When are we going to ________________?
  24. She got the top ________________ in the exam.

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

Answer key

  1. bore — gave birth
  2. season — to add flavour
  3. mark — to pay attention
  4. season — of the year
  5. trunk — of a tree
  6. squash — the vegetable
  7. trunk — of an elephant
  8. court — of law
  9. bowl — to roll
  10. season — in sport
  11. trunk — of a car
  12. court — for sport
  13. mark — a trace
  14. bowl — a football final
  15. squash — to crush
  16. court — of a king
  17. land — ground
  18. bowl — a dish
  19. bore — to drill
  20. squash — the sport
  21. bore — to tire
  22. land — a country
  23. land — to come down
  24. mark — a grade

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