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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: bore · leaves · season · staff · mark · deal · mouse · clip

  1. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  2. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  3. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  4. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  5. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  6. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  7. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  8. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  9. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  10. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  11. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  12. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  13. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  14. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  15. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  16. Did you ________________ the meat?
  17. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  18. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  19. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  20. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  21. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  22. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  23. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  24. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.

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

Answer key

  1. bore — to tire
  2. clip — to cut
  3. deal — a big deal
  4. deal — to handle
  5. season — of the year
  6. mouse — for a computer
  7. staff — employees
  8. staff — employees
  9. bore — to drill
  10. mark — to pay attention
  11. mouse — the animal
  12. mark — a trace
  13. staff — a stick
  14. clip — for paper
  15. deal — an agreement
  16. season — to add flavour
  17. bore — gave birth
  18. clip — a video
  19. leaves — of a tree
  20. season — in sport
  21. mouse — the animal
  22. mark — a grade
  23. leaves — to go away
  24. leaves — lets stay

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