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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: season · fan · cap · temple · wound · bore · club · deal

  1. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  2. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  3. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  4. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  5. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  6. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  7. Did you ________________ the meat?
  8. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  9. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  10. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  11. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  12. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  13. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  14. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  15. When was this ________________ built?
  16. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  17. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  18. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  19. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  20. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  21. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  22. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  23. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  24. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bore — gave birth
  2. fan — a supporter
  3. cap — a hat
  4. deal — to handle
  5. deal — a big deal
  6. club — for dancing
  7. season — to add flavour
  8. wound — an injury
  9. fan — to cool the air
  10. wound — past of 'wind'
  11. deal — an agreement
  12. club — a group
  13. cap — of ice
  14. bore — to drill
  15. temple — a place of worship
  16. fan — a supporter
  17. temple — a place of worship
  18. club — for golf
  19. season — of the year
  20. cap — a lid
  21. bore — to tire
  22. wound — an injury
  23. temple — side of the head
  24. season — in sport

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