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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.

Words on the sheet
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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: march · date · spell · bore · mine · stock · current · mug

  1. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  2. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  3. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  4. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  5. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  6. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  7. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  8. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  9. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  10. Where did you ________________ them?
  11. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  12. How do you ________________ your surname?
  13. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  14. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  15. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  16. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  17. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  18. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  19. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  20. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  21. The ________________ market has crashed.
  22. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  23. Have you settled on a ________________?
  24. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. spell — magic
  2. mine — belonging to me
  3. march — the month
  4. bore — to tire
  5. mug — a face
  6. date — the fruit
  7. current — electric
  8. mine — for digging
  9. mug — a cup
  10. mug — to rob
  11. march — music
  12. spell — letters
  13. bore — gave birth
  14. stock — goods
  15. march — the month
  16. current — of water
  17. bore — to drill
  18. mine — an explosive
  19. stock — a soup base
  20. current — happening now
  21. stock — shares
  22. spell — a short time
  23. date — on the calendar
  24. date — on the calendar

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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