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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: date · nail · bore · mouse · straw · can · land · season

  1. When are we going to ________________?
  2. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  3. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  4. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  5. Did you ________________ the meat?
  6. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  7. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  8. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  9. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  10. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  11. Have you settled on a ________________?
  12. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  13. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  14. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  15. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  16. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  17. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  18. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  19. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  20. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  21. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  22. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  23. The ________________ went through the wall.
  24. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?

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

Answer key

  1. land — to come down
  2. season — of the year
  3. bore — gave birth
  4. nail — on a finger
  5. season — to add flavour
  6. can — a tin
  7. can — to be able to
  8. mouse — for a computer
  9. straw — dry grass
  10. bore — to drill
  11. date — on the calendar
  12. nail — for a hammer
  13. date — on the calendar
  14. straw — a straw man
  15. straw — to clutch at straws
  16. can — a tin
  17. date — the fruit
  18. land — a country
  19. mouse — the animal
  20. season — in sport
  21. mouse — the animal
  22. land — ground
  23. nail — for a hammer
  24. bore — to tire

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