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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: bore · fork · sharp · season · cell · bank · temple · cue

  1. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  2. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  3. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  4. Did you ________________ the meat?
  5. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  6. He was locked up in a ________________.
  7. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  8. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  9. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  10. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  11. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  12. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  13. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  14. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  15. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  16. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  17. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  18. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  19. When was this ________________ built?
  20. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  21. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  22. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  23. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  24. It's one o'clock ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. season — of the year
  2. fork — a garden tool
  3. sharp — with an edge
  4. season — to add flavour
  5. bore — gave birth
  6. cell — in a prison
  7. bank — for money
  8. cue — a hint
  9. cue — a signal
  10. sharp — clever
  11. cell — a phone
  12. bank — of a river
  13. cell — in biology
  14. season — in sport
  15. bore — to drill
  16. temple — a place of worship
  17. bank — for money
  18. bore — to tire
  19. temple — a place of worship
  20. fork — to eat with
  21. temple — side of the head
  22. cue — for pool
  23. fork — in a road
  24. sharp — exactly

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