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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: bore · march · fine · lie · roll · season · wind · wake

  1. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  2. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  3. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  4. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  5. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  6. We're on a ________________ here.
  7. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  8. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  9. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  10. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  11. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  12. Did you ________________ the meat?
  13. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  14. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  15. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  16. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  17. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  18. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  19. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  20. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  21. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  22. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  23. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  24. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. lie — an untruth
  2. roll — a list
  3. march — the month
  4. season — in sport
  5. march — the month
  6. roll — on a roll
  7. wind — moving air
  8. fine — all right
  9. wake — to stop sleeping
  10. march — music
  11. fine — high quality
  12. season — to add flavour
  13. roll — a cake
  14. season — of the year
  15. wind — moving air
  16. fine — a penalty
  17. lie — to recline
  18. wind — to turn a key
  19. bore — gave birth
  20. wake — a trail
  21. bore — to tire
  22. bore — to drill
  23. wake — before a funeral
  24. lie — an untruth

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