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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: season · stock · bound · mark · mate · mine · bore · jam

  1. The ________________ market has crashed.
  2. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  3. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  4. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  5. Did you ________________ the meat?
  6. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  7. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  8. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  9. That was ________________ to happen.
  10. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  11. Have you found your soul ________________?
  12. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  13. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  14. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  15. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  16. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  17. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  18. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  19. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  20. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  21. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  22. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  23. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  24. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.

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

Answer key

  1. stock — shares
  2. season — of the year
  3. mate — a friend
  4. mine — for digging
  5. season — to add flavour
  6. bound — obliged
  7. bore — to drill
  8. mine — an explosive
  9. bound — certain
  10. stock — a soup base
  11. mate — a partner
  12. mate — to breed
  13. season — in sport
  14. jam — a tight spot
  15. jam — in traffic
  16. stock — goods
  17. bore — to tire
  18. jam — to spread on bread
  19. mark — a grade
  20. bore — gave birth
  21. mine — belonging to me
  22. bound — tied together
  23. mark — a trace
  24. mark — to pay attention

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