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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: lean · fork · bore · mate · season · club · net · track

  1. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  2. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  3. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  4. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  5. Have you found your soul ________________?
  6. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  7. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  8. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  9. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  10. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  11. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  12. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  13. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  14. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  15. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  16. Did you ________________ the meat?
  17. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  18. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  19. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  20. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  21. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  22. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  23. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  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. bore — to drill
  2. season — of the year
  3. mate — to breed
  4. bore — gave birth
  5. mate — a partner
  6. mate — a friend
  7. club — a group
  8. fork — a garden tool
  9. club — for golf
  10. track — to keep track
  11. fork — in a road
  12. fork — to eat with
  13. lean — to rest against
  14. track — a song
  15. club — for dancing
  16. season — to add flavour
  17. net — after costs
  18. net — for catching
  19. lean — to bend
  20. season — in sport
  21. net — in sport
  22. lean — thin
  23. track — a path
  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