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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 120 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: mate · season · can · bass · vault · bore · leaves · chest

  1. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  2. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  3. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  4. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  5. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  6. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  7. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  8. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  9. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  10. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  11. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  12. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  13. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  14. Have you found your soul ________________?
  15. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  16. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  17. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  18. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  19. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  20. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  21. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  22. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  23. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  24. Did you ________________ the meat?

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

Answer key

  1. bass — the fish
  2. chest — of your body
  3. vault — an arched ceiling
  4. mate — a friend
  5. leaves — lets stay
  6. bore — to tire
  7. bass — low music
  8. can — a tin
  9. bore — gave birth
  10. mate — to breed
  11. leaves — of a tree
  12. chest — of your body
  13. leaves — to go away
  14. mate — a partner
  15. can — a tin
  16. season — in sport
  17. can — to be able to
  18. season — of the year
  19. bore — to drill
  20. vault — in gymnastics
  21. vault — a safe
  22. chest — a box
  23. bass — the instrument
  24. season — to add flavour

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